Elliott Erwitt:
The Art of Observation and Impromptu Photographs

About the exhibition

The FUJIFILM SQUARE Photo History Museum is pleased to present an exhibition of works by Elliott Erwitt, the internationally acclaimed photographer and longstanding member of Magnum Photos.*

Based in New York since 1949, the career of photographer Elliott Erwitt (1928–) spans about seventy years. Erwitt was twenty-five years old in 1953 when he joined Magnum Photos at the invitation of Robert Capa, a founding member of the photographers' cooperative established in 1947. An early member of Magnum who has supported the cooperative by serving as its president for three years from 1966 to 1968, Erwitt has also demonstrated versatility in other genres, such as commercial photography, film, and television.

The exhibition features around 30 photographs selected from Erwitt's masterpieces, all of them valuable original prints created in 1980's and 1990's. Cherished by many generations, Erwitt's witty and humorous photographs overflow with a sense of humanity. A moment between lovers, the delightful expressions of children, the humorous relationships between people and their dogs—Erwitt's eye captures the drama in front of him objectively, but with affection in a reflection of his own life, depicting human emotion through photographs that capture each moment. In other words: the art of observation. The beautiful gelatin silver prints do not only convey Erwitt's magic, but they also symbolize the origin of photography, which is the act of recording.

Elliott Erwitt holds an important position as the oldest active photographer at Magnum. We hope you will enjoy the timeless fascination of these masterpieces.

* Conceived by photojournalist Robert Capa, Magnum Photos is a leading international photographers' cooperative established in 1947 with the aim of protecting and asserting the rights and freedoms of photographers. Founding members include Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger, and David Seymour.