Leiter, Saul
“I happen to believe in the beauty of simple things.”
— Saul Leiter
Influenced by his New York City peers, painter Saul Leiter began to experiment with photography around 1947. While most photographers at this time chose to work exclusively in black-and-white, Leiter was an early adopter of color, and he is considered to be one of the major figures in what is termed the New York school of photography. Snow (1960), in the Museum of Contemporary Photography permanent collection, demonstrates his unique compositional style. Through a window, Leiter captures a man on a snowy sidewalk. Leiter, or someone else, has wiped away a swatch of condensation to reveal the subject. The neutral, almost shadowy form is contrasted by something bright yellow in the background. This exploration of shapes and abstraction is represented across his color portfolio, capturing the daily movements of New York City.
As the son of a Talmudic scholar, Leiter’s initial path was towards becoming a rabbi. However, in has early twenties, he left the theology program in Cleveland and moved to New York City to pursue painting. He developed friendships with Abstract Expressionist painter Richard Pousette-Dart and photojournalist W. Eugene Smith, both of whom encouraged him to experiment with photography. In the 1950s, his work was included in multiple exhibitions and presentations at the Museum of Modern Art. During his twenty-year career as a fashion photographer, Leiter’s photographs were published in a myriad of magazines such as Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, and British Vogue.
Leiter closed his Fifth Avenue studio in the early 1980s, yet kept working through the 90s, though in relative obscurity. His work was reintroduced to the masses in 2006 with the publication of Martin Harrison’s Saul Leiter: Early Color. The success of this book resurged interest in Leiter’s work, leading to his first solo museum show in that same year at the Milwaukee Museum of Art.
Before his death in 2013, he was the subject of an acclaimed documentary Saul Leiter: In No Great Hurry. His work is included in collections across the world including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the National Gallery of Australia; the Yale University Art gallery, New Haven, CT; and various others.
