ELLIOTT ERWITT: GOLD STANDARD

OPENING RECEPTION | VALENTINE’S DAY | SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14 | 1:00 - 4:00 PM

"To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them." - Elliott Erwitt 

Weinstein Hammons Gallery is pleased to present Elliott Erwitt: Gold Standard, the third exhibition of photographs by Elliott Erwitt (1928–2023), one of the most influential photographers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

The exhibition’s title draws from the phrase Erwitt used to describe his friend, colleague, and mentor Henri Cartier-Bresson, whom he referred to as “the gold standard” of photography. In this exhibition, the phrase comes full circle, as the gallery uses it to honor Elliott Erwitt’s legacy and his contributions to the canon of photography.

Across a seven-decade career, Elliott Erwitt created iconic imagery, drawing inspiration from everyday life. He often carried two cameras: one for assignments and one for personal observations. By the mid-1950s, Erwitt had already established himself in the field of photography. He joined Magnum Photos in 1953 through an invitation from Robert Capa and later served as its president in the late 1960s. His 1953 photograph of his “first wife, first daughter and first cat” was included in Edward Steichen’s landmark exhibition The Family of Man at the Museum of Modern Art in 1955. This memorable work will be on view in Gold Standard.

Born Elio Romano Ervitz in Paris to Russian Jewish parents, Erwitt spent his early childhood in Milan before emigrating to the United States in 1939 as his family fled the rise of fascism in Europe. Arriving in the United States, he turned to photography as a means of observation and communication while navigating a new culture and language. 

Composed of photographs spanning sixty years (1949 to 2009), Gold Standard presents a selection of Elliott Erwitt’s most iconic photographs alongside lesser exhibited works that emphasize the breadth of his vision. Marked by sharp intelligence and an unmistakable sense of humor, the images in the exhibition move from portraits of dogs to intimate human moments and scenes of political and cultural significance. Across subjects and decades, Erwitt’s photographs illuminate life's quiet absurdities and tenderness. 

Gold Standard celebrates Elliott Erwitt’s lifelong contributions to the medium and reminds us that his work has inspired and will continue to inspire generations of artists.