Elliott Erwitt is considered one of the most iconic photographers of the 21st century. He conquered the industry with a snapshot of Nixon and Khrushchev, which eventually became a symbol of the election campaign of the future president of America. From this article, you will learn about Erwitt’s early years, rise to fame, work with celebrities, and current endeavors.
Childhood and Teenage Years
Elliott was born on July 26, 1928, in the family of Russian Jews Boris and Eugenia Erwitt. The outbreak of World War II forced the family to move to America, as far away from the fascist regime of the Italian leader Benito Mussolini as possible.
In 1941, Erwitt’s parents divorced, and the boy moved with his father to Los Angeles. Then he began to get involved in photography. Three years later, his father went to live in New Orleans, leaving the 16-year-old teenager alone. Elliot kept the house they lived in, renting out rooms to tenants and starting out on business to cover the bills. At this time, equipped with a cheap amateur camera, he could already produce stills with commercial potential.
First Career Steps
In the 50s, the Korean War began, and Erwitt was appointed a photographer in France and Germany. Before he left for the front, Robert Capa asked to find him in Paris and promised to show his work to respected photojournalists. The promise was kept, as the co-founder of Magnum Photo helped the budding photographer make useful connections that would influence his future career. Upon his return to New York in 1953, Elliott Erwitt became an official resident of the international Magnum photo agency. A year later, he received his first major contract for Holiday magazine and went to Wyoming.
Later he met many celebrities of the time and captured them with his lens. Among them were Jack Kerouac, Roald Dahl, Grace Kelly, Fidel Castro, and Che Guevara.
A Business Trip to Moscow
In 1959, Erwitt went to the Soviet Union for an industrial exhibition to photograph Westinghouse refrigerators and got to know that the Vice President of America came on a state visit, too. So Erwitt urgently left for Sokolniki to attend the meeting between Nixon and Khrushchev. There he took his most famous picture, which was nicknamed “The Kitchen Debate.” In the frame, the vice-president pokes his finger into the lapel of the jacket of the first secretary of the Soviet Union Communist Party.
The Kitchen Debate became a part of Nixon’s election campaign, but Erwitt himself was negative about it:
“I have photographed Nixon many times in different situations. What do I think of him? I didn’t really think about him. I lived in California, where he started his political career at the expense of the people. And I had my own opinion. He competed with a woman. It was the dirtiest and most disgusting campaign he won.”
In the mid-1960s, French President Charles de Gaulle paid a friendly visit to Moscow. The purpose of the politician’s trip was to conclude an agreement on the expansion of political, economic, and cultural ties. The president’s visit, attended by Elliott Erwitt, quickly bored the photographer with its officialdom. He even left it, but the feeling that he was missing something made him return. By the time the reporter was back in the negotiation room, the situation had turned into an informal, friendly meeting of politicians. It is this atmosphere that Erwitt conveyed with his photographs, one of which became the cover of the Paris Match magazine.
Career Zenith
In 1968, Elliott Erwitt became the President of Magnum Photo. Even at that time, Elliot actively opposed retouching and never gave titles to his works. To this day, he believes this is tantamount to explaining a joke: it dies immediately after the explanation.
In addition to photography, Elliott shot three films: Beauty Knows No Pain (1971), Red, White and Bluegrass (1973), Glassmakers of Herat (1977). Now the photographer says that if it hadn’t been for the alimony that he is forced to pay to his ex-wives, he would have shot many more films.
A Tireless Artist
Elliott Erwitt is 92 years old now. He continues to live and photograph in New York. For many years, his focus has been on dogs. The man says that dogs are responsive creatures that can be found anywhere, and they are just like people – only they don’t ask when the photos will be ready.
To this day, the photographer continues to be an ironic lover of life. His masterclasses are held in a relaxed atmosphere, and the man jokes a lot. Erwitt never explains his works but rather tells the back story. Art director Tom Jacoby once said: “When you get to know Elliott better, you will want to hug him,” and this reveals Erwitt’s personality in the best possible way.
