Artist of the Week: Elliott Erwitt

In honor of Valentine’s Day, and for all of you, my Valentines, I’m launching a new “Artist of the Week” blog series.

I’ve been thinking about doing something like this for a while now, but it all came together yesterday when I was talking photographers with some friends. I turned to one, a well-established portrait photographer, and said, “You know who Patrick Demarchelier is, don’t you?” She didn’t.

When I later relayed the story to my husband, he said, “I think this is a case of you being so close to something that you don’t realize you know a lot more about it than the average person.” Ok then, it would be my absolute pleasure to share my obsession with art and photography with you, starting with Magnum photographer Elliott Erwitt.

One of my favorite photographic love moments was captured by Erwitt in Malibu, California in 1955:

When I think of Erwitt, I first think of this California kiss image but he’s actually much better known for his humorous and absurd take on everyday life and particularly his photos of dogs and their owners. As his official bio says, he “likes children and dogs.”

But Erwitt also has created some beautiful portraits:

Born in 1928, Erwitt has been making art from a camera for a long, long time. He started out in the darkroom in high school, processing “signed” prints for celebrities. At just 21 he began his professional career in photography, but was later drafted into the US Army. He had been lucky to meet master photographers, including Edward Steichen and Robert Capa, before his military service and they welcomed him into the Magnum agency afterward. He has been an active member ever since.

He continues his 40+ year career today, working with magazine, advertising and industry clients as well as creating books and exhibitions. His work has hung worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, the Royal Photographic Society in Bath, and the Museum of Art in New South Wales/Sydney, among many others.

To see more of Erwitt’s work, visit his website: http://www.elliotterwitt.com. To purchase books, prints and more, visit the Magnum Photos store or Peter Fetterman Gallery.

What is your favorite Elliott Erwitt image? What do you think about this new “Artist of the Week” series? Any genre you’re particularly interested in learning more about?

Cheers,