Saul Leiter

SaulLeiter(1923–2013)hasonlyinrecentyearsfinallyreceivedhisdueasoneofthegreatpioneersofcolorphotography.ThiscanperhapsbeattributedtothefactthatLeitersawhimselfforalongtimemainlyasapainter.AftercomingtoNewYorkin1946,heexhibitedalongsideAbstractExpressionistslikeWillemdeKooningbeforebeginninginthelate1940stotakeblackandwhitephotographs.LikeRobertFrankorHelenLevitt,hefoundhismotifsonthestreetsofNewYork,butatthesametimewasvisiblyinterestedinabstraction.EdwardSteichenwasoneofthefirsttodiscoverLeiter’sphotography,showingitinthe1950sintwoimportantexhibitionsatNewYork’sMoMA.Backthencolorphotographywasregardedas»lowart,«fitonlyforadvertising.Leiteraccordinglyworkedprimarilyasafashionphotographer,formagazinessuchasEsquireandHarper’sBazaar.Nearly40yearswouldgobybeforehisextraordinaryartisticcolorphotographywasrediscovered.Thisbook,firstpublishedtomarkthefirstmajorretrospectiveofLeiter’sworkin2012,featuresforthefirsttime,inadditiontohisearlyblackandwhiteandcolorimages,hisfashionphotography,theoverpaintednudes,aswellashispaintingsandsketchbooks.Presscomment"Asabookforaretrospective,SaulLeitershines.Thebookpresentsthephotographer’sworkinprobablythebestpossibleway,withmanyexamplephotographyandessays,allofwhichareverymuchreadableandinformative.[...]Highleyrecommended."JoergColberg,Conscientious.com