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With Heart and Humour
With Heart and Humour
Elliott Erwitt
February 26, 2026
Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain, 1995
© Elliott Erwitt LLC. All rights reserved. / Magnum Photos
Elliott Erwitt left us with a legacy that is at once playfully observant and unmistakably human. The widely travelled photographer worked across continents: from major cities like New York, London and Paris to the most remote corners of Ireland or Provence, he captured life with unmatched warmth, humour and wit.
The exhibition at London’s Atlas Gallery brings together a carefully curated selection of iconic works as well as lesser-known studies from Elliot’s more than seven-decades-long career. From his unforgettable dog portraits and wry street scenes, to candid shots of historical moments and personalities such as Marilyn Monroe, Che Guevara and Jackie Kennedy, Erwitt’s images reveal a rare ability to find lightness, paradox and humanity in both everyday and monumental events.
Curated with the humour and modesty that characterised Erwitt's voice, Last Laughs is not just an exhibition, but a tribute to a man who saw the world with a twinkle in his eye and a Leica in his hand. It is both a farewell and a celebration – a final wink from Erwitt to the world he so brilliantly documented.
Katrin UllmannThe exhibition at London’s Atlas Gallery brings together a carefully curated selection of iconic works as well as lesser-known studies from Elliot’s more than seven-decades-long career. From his unforgettable dog portraits and wry street scenes, to candid shots of historical moments and personalities such as Marilyn Monroe, Che Guevara and Jackie Kennedy, Erwitt’s images reveal a rare ability to find lightness, paradox and humanity in both everyday and monumental events.
Curated with the humour and modesty that characterised Erwitt's voice, Last Laughs is not just an exhibition, but a tribute to a man who saw the world with a twinkle in his eye and a Leica in his hand. It is both a farewell and a celebration – a final wink from Erwitt to the world he so brilliantly documented.
ALL IMAGES ON THIS PAGE: © Elliott Erwitt
Elliott Erwitt+-
Was born in Paris on July 26, 1928. He spent his childhood in Milan, until his family moved back to Paris in 1938, and emigrated to the USA the following year. That was where he discovered photography. He has been a member of the Magnum Agency since 1953, and has acted as its president on various occasions. Journalistic assignments alternated with commercial ones, while personal projects developed alongside. In the seventies, Erwitt turned increasingly to film. He produced documentaries, as well as a series of television comedies in the eighties. He lived in New York City. In 2023, he was honoured with the Leica Hall of Fame Award and celebrated with accompanying exhibitions at the Leica Gallery in Wetzlar and in New York. Erwitt passed away in New York City on November 29, 2023. More
Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain, 1995
© Elliott Erwitt LLC. All rights reserved. / Magnum Photos
Cannes, France, 1975 (1)
© Elliott Erwitt LLC. All rights reserved. / Magnum Photos
Cannes, France, 1975 (2)
© Elliott Erwitt LLC. All rights reserved. / Magnum Photos
Dog Jumping, Paris, France, 1989
© Elliott Erwitt LLC. All rights reserved. / Magnum Photos
Self-Portrait, Ireland, 1991
© Elliott Erwitt LLC. All rights reserved. / Magnum Photos