Leica Gallery New York is pleased to present Love & Laughter, an exhibition of the late great Elliott Erwitt, to celebrate the opening of the new Leica Gallery in New York and Erwitt’s induction into the Leica Hall of Fame. A long-term member of the Magnum Photo Agency, he repeatedly put together compositions filled with charm, humor, and levity.

 No city could serve this purpose better than New York, where Erwitt lived on the Upper West Side for over seven decades. The opening exhibition and the new Leica Gallery, located in the heart of the vibrant Meatpacking District, would indeed have been a delight to Elliott Erwitt – as it will undoubtedly be for all its visitors.

 Elliott Erwitt was born on 26th July 1928 in Paris, the son of Russian immigrants. He grew up in Italy and France before the family emigrated to New York in 1939. As a teenager, he lived in Hollywood, where he discovered an interest in photography. In 1948, he began working as a professional photographer in New York. He joined the Magnum Photo Agency in 1953, eventually acting as its president for several terms. In the seventies, he also began making movies and working for television.

He passed away peacefully there on 30th November 2023, surrounded by his family.