Celebration of Photography 2024

The Celebration of Photography was once again a highlight of the Leitz Park calendar this year, bringing together the international Leica community. The event on 9 and 10 October was not only a celebration of the winners of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, Davide Monteleone and Maria Guțu, but also a moment to honor the induction of Herlinde Koelbl into the Leica Hall of Fame. In addition to an artist talk there was a get-together with exquisite culinary delights.

The event, which was opened by the Leica Chorus, was once again a great experience for all guests coming from all over the world, covering a wide array of topics related to Leica photography.

Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2024

In the 44th edition of the prestigious photography award, the LOBA jury selected Italian-born, Swiss-based photographer Davide Monteleone with his series “Critical Minerals – Geography of Energy,” for the main prize, while Moldovan photographer Maria Guțu won the LOBA Newcomer Award for her “Homeland” series. The two winning series were selected from a field of around 250 submissions, which had been previously presented to the LOBA jury by roughly 80 international photography experts from around 50 countries.

Davide Monteleone: Critical Minerals – Geography of Energy

In the photographer’s ongoing, long-term study, he questions the current reorientation of the energy industry towards renewable sources, and problematizes the resulting and complicated geopolitical, social, and ecological effects, using the examples of copper, lithium, and cobalt mining in Chile, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Indonesia. In his multi-layered series, he shows the landscapes and industrial complexes, while making the people working there the central focus of his work.

The winning series was proposed by Italian LOBA nominator Antonia Benedetta Donato.

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Maria Guțu: Homeland

The Moldovan photographer’s personal story was the starting point for her touching portrait series: she grew up with her grandparents, because her own parents – like many others in her homeland – had to move abroad for economic reasons. In the last twenty years, nearly a quarter of the small country’s population has left. Guțu’s poetic and visual narrative asks about the meaning of roots and of home, which have changed significantly over the years.

The series was proposed for the LOBA Newcomer Category – directed at photographers up to 30 years in age – by Docdocdoc, School of Modern Photography, St. Petersburg

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LOBA Winner Series 2024

@Davide Monteleone
@Davide Monteleone
Davide Monteleone
@Davide Monteleone
@Davide Monteleone
@Maria Gutu
@Maria Gutu
@Maria Gutu
@Maria Gutu

Leica Picture of the Year 2024 showing a flower close-up.

@Herlinde Koelbl

By renowned photographer Herlinde Koelbl

Since 2021, Leica Camera AG has dedicated the Leica Picture of the Year to outstanding Leica photographers who have been inducted into the Leica Hall of Fame. To date, 13 renowned photographers have been honored with the award for their life's work. To share a piece of this success with all Leica enthusiasts, a Leica Picture of the Year is selected each year. The Leica Picture of the Year is offered exclusively by the 29 Leica Galleries worldwide. This gives all collectors and Leica friends the opportunity to build up a unique collection of great Leica photographs with the limited editions.

Feine Leute @Herlinde Koelbl

Herlinde Koelbl

She has long been considered one of the most significant and renowned German photographers: now Herlinde Koelbl is being honored with the Leica Hall of Fame Award for her lifetime achievements. The ceremony was part of this year’s Celebration of Photography from 9 to 10 October at Leica Headquarters in Wetzlar, Germany. The complementary exhibition will be on display at the Leica Gallery Wetzlar up until 26th January 2025. One of the photographer’s motifs has also been chosen as Leica Picture of the Year 2024. The motif belongs to the photographer’s most recent series, Metamorphoses, where she traces the beauty of transience in the form of wilting flowers.