Elliott Erwitt: Platinum Prints

EVENT DESCRIPTION

f22 foto space is proud to present Elliott Erwitt—Platinum Prints. This exhibition showcases 19 iconic images of the legendary American Magnum photographer – Elliott Erwitt – in exquisite platinum prints, on his favourite subjects including women, children, dogs and good humour.

Elliott has chosen these 19 images for platinum printing because they have particular tones that have translated well. The image quality is fascinating, with densely rich shadows and exquisitely fine highlights. The overall tone is even and sublime. In addition, the prints could be preserved for decades almost without fading, making them valuable collectibles.

While monochrome photographs are usually salt printed and contemporary colour photos with pigments, platinum printing is considered an ‘aristocratic’ method – it uses platinum, the precious metal for printing, requiring special film development techniques, chemicals and photo papers, and there are no two identical platinum prints, making each one unique.

ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER

Elliott Erwitt was born in Paris to Russian émigré parents in 1928. He spent his formative years in Milan, and moved to New York in 1948. He is a photographer and filmmaker who is known for his black and white candid photos of ironic and absurd situations within everyday settings.
Elliott has been a member of Magnum Photos since 1953 and served as president for three years. To date he is the author of nearly 30 photography books, such as Dog Dogs (1996), Personal Best (2006), Regarding Women (2014), Pittsburgh 1950 (2017).
Elliott’s work has been collected by many of the major museums, including the MET Museum, the International Center of Photography in New York and Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. A listing of solo exhibition at significant public venues includes the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York, the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, the Barbican in London, and Chanel Nexus Hall in Tokyo. In 2011, Erwitt was awarded the Infinity Award for Lifetime Achievement by the International Center of Photography.