Elliott Erwitt

Elliott Erwitt (1928–2023) was a French American photographer renowned for his candid and often humorous black-and-white photos that captured the human experience in everyday life.

As a humanist photographer, Erwitt found pictures everywhere he went: ‘It’s about reacting to what you see, hopefully without preconception,’ he said. ‘It’s simply a matter of moticing things and organising them. You just have to care about what’s around you and have a concern with humanity and the human comedy.’

Born in Paris, in 1928, Erwitt spent his childhood in Milan before moving to the United States in 1939. He developed a profound interest in photography, influenced by the glamour of Hollywood where he lived. Erwitt eventually studied photography at Los Angeles City College and later filmmaking at the New School for Social Research in New York. Erwitt’s career began in the 1940s. His skills were honed through his travels in the late 1940s through France and Italy, as well as in the 1950s when he undertook photographic duties in the Army Signal Corps in Germany and France.

Erwitt gained international recognition for his sharp eye and ability to find wit and charm in both mundane and historic moments. A long-standing member of Magnum Photos since 1953, and later served as the collective’s president in the late 1960s, Erwitt’s work spans decades and includes iconic portraits of John F. Kennedy, Simone de Beauvoir, Che Guevara and more. His photo of Jackie Kennedy at JFK’s funeral became one of his most poignant and widely recognised images. Similarly, his portrait of Marilyn Monroe on the set of The Misfits (1960) stands as a defining photograph in both his and Monroe’s career.

Elliott Erwitt’s photography is not only known for documenting the famous but also for celebrating the everyday, often with a humorous twist. His series featuring dogs has produced some of his most well-known images.

A master of street photography, Erwitt observed life with both humour and empathy; his extensive body of work continues to inspire and delight viewers worldwide, capturing the essence of the human spirit in every frame. Elliott Erwitt died in 2023 at the age of 95.

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

California, 1955

ELLIOTT ERWITT (NÉ EN 1928)

Saint-Tropez, France, 1959

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

New York City, 1974

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

New York City, 1974

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

Maquette for a limited edition book, 1950s

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

New York City, 1974

ELLIOTT ERWITT (NÉ EN 1928)

California Kiss, 1955

Elliott Erwitt (b. 1928)

New York City, 1953

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

New York City, 1974

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

Segregated Water Fountains, North Carolina, 1950

Elliott Erwitt (Paris, b. 1928)

Cohiba Cigar with Smoking Fish

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

Mother and Child, New York, 1953

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

New York City, 1955

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

Santa Monica, California, 1955

ELLIOTT ERWITT (NÉ EN 1928)

New York City, (Third Ave El), 1955

ELLIOTT ERWITT (1928–2023)

Marilyn Monroe, New York City, 1956

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

New York City, 1953

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

Provence, France, 1955

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

Marilyn Monroe, The Seven Year Itch , 1954

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

Paris (Dog Jumping), 1989

ELLIOTT ERWITT (1928–2023)

Marilyn Monroe, New York, 1956

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

Provence, France, 1955

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

Marilyn Monroe, New York City, 1956

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

Marilyn Monroe, New York, 1956

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

Santa Monica, California, 1955

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

New York City, 1974

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

Elliott Erwitt

ELLIOTT ERWITT (NÉ EN 1928)

New York City, 1974

ELLIOTT ERWITT (b. 1928)

California, 1956 gelatin silver print, printed later signed, titled and dated (in pencil, verso)

Elliott Erwitt (b. 1928)

New York City, 1955

ELLIOTT ERWITT (b. 1928)

New York City, 1974

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1988

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

Elliott Erwitt

ELLIOTT ERWITT (NÉ EN 1928)

North Carolina, 1950

ELLIOTT ERWITT (b. 1928)

Wyoming, 1954

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

Wyoming, 1954

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

New York City, 1974

ELLIOTT ERWITT (B. 1928)

Las Vegas, Nevada, 1954

ELLIOTT ERWITT (b.1928)

California, 1955

ELLIOTT ERWITT (1928–2023)

Jacqueline Kennedy, Arlington, Virginia, 1963

ELLIOTT ERWITT (b.1928)

New York City, 1974