Leiter is an accomplished painter as well as a photographer, and nowhere near as well-known as he deserves to be. Born in 1923, he started taking photographs in black and white in the 1940s, and began experimenting with color towards the end of that decade. Saul Leiter is an important but relatively obscure figure in modern photography. Sadly, unless you're extraordinarily lucky, if you want to get hold of a new copy now you'll have to pay at least $200 (but hope is not lost - read on to the end of this review for other options). 'Early Color' is a relatively recent addition to my book collection, purchased just before I left the UK for Seattle, last autumn. Out of print, I was lucky enough to find my copy in my (then) local bookshop for its original publisher's recommended price.

It might seem perverse to review a book which is out of print, but bear with me. “But his black and white production is just as indebted to lessons he learned from those same masters.”įrom the shoes of the shoeshine man to the detail of a young girl’s hair in a ponytail, Saul Leiter at Howard Greenberg Gallery will include the artist’s iconic street photography and intimate portraits of friends and family.Steidle, 2006. “He has a rapturous way with color, which stems from his love of the masters of modern art,” writes Max Kozloff in the introduction to Saul Leiter: Early Black and White. His distinctive imagery stems from his profound and touching response to the dynamic street life of New York City.

Well-known for his color work, Leiter’s earliest black and white photographs also show an extraordinary affinity for the medium. His abstracted forms and radically innovative compositions have a painterly quality that stands out among the work of his New York School contemporaries. Leiter made an enormous and unique contribution to photography with a highly prolific period in New York City in the 1940s and 50s. In No Great Hurry: 13 Lessons in Life with Saul Leiter, a documentary film directed by Tomas Leach, was released in 2013 to critical acclaim. With text by Max Kozolff and an additional essay by Jane Livingston, the volumes show the impressive range of Leiter’s early photography. The exhibition coincides with the publication of Saul Leiter: Early Black and White, a two-volume monograph published by Steidl / Howard Greenberg Library, a new imprint at Steidl. The exhibition represents the first solo show of the artist’s early black and white photography from the 1940s and 50s, and will focus on more than 40 images including many unique prints that have never before been exhibited. Saul Leiter will be presented by Howard Greenberg Gallery from September 18 – October 25, 2014.

Saul leiter early black and white