Saul Leiter

“I started out as a fashion photographer. One cannot say that I was successful but there was enough work to keep me busy. I collaborated with Harper's Bazaar and other magazines. I was constantly aware that those who hired me would have preferred to work with a star such as Avedon. But it didn't matter. I had work and I made a living. At the same time, I took my own photographs. Strangely enough, I knew exactly what I wanted and what I liked.” Since the 1940s, Saul Leiter, an inveterate walker, has trawled the streets of New York, capturing its colors and spirit. His liking for disarray, solitude and elusiveness make him a unique artist, quite unconcerned about joining the throng.“I spent a great deal of my life being ignored. I was always very happy that way. Being ignored is a great privilege. That is how I think I learned to see what others do not see and to react to situations differently. I simply looked at the world, not really prepared for anything.” This volume contains several previously unpublished color pictures alongside Leiter’s early work in black-and-white. Co-published with Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, Paris.