Leica Hall of Fame

“I think all the stuff on the street is a gift. But you only get it if you go out there every day” – Joel Meyerowitz.

Without a doubt, Joel Meyerowitz belongs to the most renowned representatives of US street and colour photography. Like few others, he manages time and again to draw out surprising and often very curious moments from the tangled confusion of everyday life.

Born in New York City in 1938, Meyerowitz grew up in the Bronx, studied painting and afterwards worked as an Art Director. He turned to 35mm colour photography in 1962, then discovered black and white, and finally came back with renewed commitment to the narrative richness of colour in 1972.

New York City remained his favourite subject – from his early works in the sixties to the moving 9/11 motifs that were taken during the clean-up operations at Ground Zero. Meyerowitz lives and works in New York and in Tuscany, Italy.

The awards ceremony takes place on 18 January 2017 as part of the event ‘A Celebration of Photography’ organised by Leica Camera AG. An extensive exhibition will be presented at the Leica Gallery Wetzlar from 19 January, continuing until 31 March 2017.