Saul Leiter: All About Saul Leiter

An in-depth look at the entire body of work of one of the outstanding figures in postwar photography

Saul Leiter (1923–2013) pioneered a painterly approach to colour photography in the 1940s and produced covers for fashion magazines such as Esquire and Harper’s Bazaar before largely withdrawing from public attention in the 1980s. The publication in 2006 of his first collection, Early Color, inspired an avid ‘rediscovery’ that has since led to worldwide exhibitions and the release of a documentary, In No Great Hurry: 13 Lessons in Life with Saul Leiter (2013). This collection reveals the secrets of his appeal, from his masterful colours and compositions to his lyricism and life philosophy.

Over 200 works – including early street photographs, images for advertising, nudes and paintings – cover Leiter’s career from the 1940s onwards, accompanied by quotations from the artist that express his singular world view.

Contents List:

Gallery • The Painter in Saul Leiter, Margit Erb • The New York Nabi, Pauline Vermare Photographs that creep up behind you and tickle your left ear, Motoyuki Shibata • Sources of Saul Leiter quotations • Saul Leiter chronology

About the Authors:

Saul Leiter was born in 1923 in Pittsburgh. He pioneered a painterly approach to colour photography in the 1940s and produced covers for fashion magazines such as Esquire and Harper’s Bazaar before largely withdrawing from public attention in the 1980s. The publication in 2006 of his first collection, Early Color, inspired an avid ‘rediscovery’ that has since led to worldwide exhibitions and the release of a documentary, In No Great Hurry: 13 Lessons in Life with Saul Leiter (2013). He died in New York in 2013.
Margit Erb is the founder and director of the Saul Leiter Foundation, which is dedicated to preserving Leiter’s art and legacy.
Pauline Vermare is Cultural Director at Magnum Photos.
Motoyuki Shibata is a scholar and translator of American literature.