At the stunning Forte di Bard in the Aosta Valley, Elliott Erwitt – Retrospective brings together the most significant and iconic photographs from his immense body of work.
The work of Elliott Erwitt comes to Italy, on show at the stunning Forte di Bard until 13 November 2016: the largest retrospective of one of the giants of international photography, set against the unique backdrop of the Aosta Valley. One of the most eagerly awaited events of this "photographic" year.
Born in Paris in 1928 to a Russian-Jewish family, Elliott Erwitt (real name Elio Romano Erwitz) travelled from an early age, first to Italy and then settling permanently in the United States in 1939. He served as a photographer in the American army in France and Germany, and in 1953 joined the historic Magnum agency — founded at the end of the Second World War by a group of photographers including Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Capa — of which he became president in 1968.
Erwitt is famous and often remembered for the irony of the bizarre poses he captures, as well as the unusual formal perfection that can emerge from chance. He said: "The kind of photography I like, the kind that catches the moment, is very similar to this break in the clouds. In a flash, a wonderful photograph seems to come out of nowhere."
A photography that makes you smile but also think, because what is more real and true than spontaneity, than chance? And his shots always seem to have been born that way — not by chance, he himself used to tell of often walking around with a camera in his pocket to catch these moments. Immortalising everyday, ordinary things was perhaps his secret. When asked why he photographed so many dogs and children, he replied: "because I had lots of children and dogs, and the latter had the advantage over people of never asking you for a print of the photos you took of them."
137 photographs are on display at the Forte di Bard from 11 June to 13 November, selected from among the most significant and iconic of his immense body of work, spanning a period from 1948 to 2005. In the rooms of the Cantine, the exhibition is divided into nine sections, featuring both black-and-white and colour shots: Beaches, Cities, Abstractions, Museum watching, Dogs, Between the sexes, Regarding women, Kids, Personalities.
Also on show is a video featuring an interview with the photographer recorded exclusively for the Forte di Bard at his New York studio in January 2016, and the short film Elliott Erwitt: I Bark at Dogs (2011) by Douglas Sloan.
"When it is done well, photography is interesting. When it is done very well, it becomes irrational and even magical. It has nothing to do with the photographer's conscious will or desire. When a photograph happens, it happens effortlessly, like a gift that should not be questioned or analysed." This is what Elliott Erwitt thinks of the art form that has allowed him to document the last 60 years of history with a realism that has never forgotten irony — and sometimes, tragedy.
The exhibition is open during the following hours: Tuesday–Friday 11.00–18.00; Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 11.00–19.00; closed on Mondays. Open every day from 25 July to 4 September. Admission costs €6.