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First published in 2011 on occasion of Saul Leiter’s third solo exhibition at Gallery Fifty-One, this catalogue provides an introduction to Leiter’s photographs and paintings.
Leiter, who began his career as a painter, encountered photography in 1948 thanks to a meeting with the abstract expressionist Richard Pousette-Dart. In both disciplines Leiter demonstrates a perfect command of composition, color choices and drawing skills. The influence of his photographs on his paintings and vice-versa is made apparent when the two are presented side by side.

“The talent of Saul Leiter is that he ‘composes’ in photography in the same way he composes his gouaches. Although he claims to practice always freely in his photography, it is obvious that there is a conscious or unconscious influence of painting on his photographs.” (from Roger Szmulewicz’s introduction)