Fifty One Fine Art Photography is proud to present a new and our third solo show of Saul Leiter (b.1923) with unpublished photographs and for the first time in Belgium a selection of his works on paper. The influence of his paintings on his photographs is made apparent when the two are presented side by side. His gouaches, rarely exhibited, mostly explore an abstract language made of large color areas in unsaturated tonalities. To enhance the link between his paintings and photographs we published only figurative gouaches with pastel-evaporating colors. Similar compositions can be found in his early color photographic practice as well, although they are slightly altered due to the medium’s nature.
As a youngster Saul Leiter was attracted to all kinds of art: French painting (Matisse, Bonnard, Picasso, Manet) and Peruvian tapestry to Japanese and Tantric arts. He began his career as a painter. From early on, he devoted himself to abstraction for which he has a special love. His gouaches hesitate between landscape and abstraction. His abstract language reminds an observer of Paul Gauguin, the Pont-Aven’s French Symbolist School and the Parisian Nabis. He demonstrates a perfect command of composition, color choices and drawing skills. He makes his presence aware by allowing the spectator to feel the energy of the brush.
In 1948 he discovered photography thanks to a meeting with the abstract expressionist Richard Pousette-Dart. Very quickly, he combined his pictorial and photographic practices. Which is why he was eventually associated with the New York school’s photographers. Soon after his encounter, photography became his livelihood, He has produced numerous fashion photographs since 1953, but he distanced himself from Street Photography. Often associated with Robert Frank and William Klein, he differs from them in his early use of color (dating from 1948) and his more reflective approach, rather than one of direct confrontation. Leiter’s photographs are now included in major collections such as those of the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the National Gallery of Australia, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Yale University Art Gallery and many other public and private collections. The recent interest in his work should not obscure the fact that for forty years he has remained almost unknown, despite the fact that Edward Steichen presented his work at the MoMA in 1953 in an exhibition titled “Always the Young Stranger”.

Fifty One Fine Art Photography History
FIFTY ONE FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY is based in Antwerp, Belgium and is specialized in photography. Vintage, Classic, Fashion, African and Contemporary photography. Open in June 2000, FIFTY ONE FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY is the only major art gallery in Belgium devoted exclusively to fine art photography.
The gallery deals with young emerging photographers and established photographers of the 20th and 21st century.
Fifty One Fine Art Photography regularly takes part in photography and contemporary art fairs worldwide, including Paris Photo (France) and Art Brussels (Belgium).
Since 2009 the gallery also started a New York office to meet the growing demands of American clients.

http://gallery51.com

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