In Conversation: Sara Messinger and Bruce Davidson
In Conversation: Sara Messinger and Bruce Davidson
May 12, 2025
In celebration of Leica’s centenary jubilee, the Leica Gallery New York is presenting the exhibition In Conversation: A Photographic Dialogue between Yesterday and Today, Featuring Sara Messinger and Bruce Davidson. It brings together the photographic worlds of the talented creators Bruce Davidson and Sara Messinger. Messinger talked with us about the parallels between their work and how well they complement each other across generations.
Sara Messinger: "The Leica Hall of Fame (LHOF) award winners were among my earliest sources of photographic inspiration. Theirs were some of the first names I came across, as I discovered more and more about the medium. They inspired me with their curiosity, and my whole life quickly revolved around photography. All of a sudden, my shy self opened up and I began to explore the world around me with my camera. I was no longer afraid of speaking and interacting with the world and, for that, I am very grateful to my personal LHOF heroes.
The idea of combining Bruce Davidson’s Brooklyn Gang series with my photographs of New York teenagers came from curator Michael Foley. I considered it an incredibly exciting concept, as Davidson has been a great inspiration to me throughout my career. Both of our photographic series were taken here in New York, and reflect not only our perspectives concerning the subjects of our pictures, but also the friendships we share with them. The parallels seen in the way we each dealt with the age gap between ourselves and our subjects formed a strong foundation for this dialogue. At the same time, the different time periods and contexts between our series add another interesting layer that highlights how both the city and its youth have evolved over the years.
As far as photography is concerned, I don’t believe any subject is taboo. It doesn’t matter how often it has been photographed. The time frame and situations change continuously, which makes recurring themes all the more interesting. To see certain aspects through the eyes of another photographer is always a very special experience – a reminder that we all live in our own dream, defined by our unique background and experiences. The individual worlds that each photographer creates with his or her images are always quite different."
Sara Messinger: "The Leica Hall of Fame (LHOF) award winners were among my earliest sources of photographic inspiration. Theirs were some of the first names I came across, as I discovered more and more about the medium. They inspired me with their curiosity, and my whole life quickly revolved around photography. All of a sudden, my shy self opened up and I began to explore the world around me with my camera. I was no longer afraid of speaking and interacting with the world and, for that, I am very grateful to my personal LHOF heroes.
The idea of combining Bruce Davidson’s Brooklyn Gang series with my photographs of New York teenagers came from curator Michael Foley. I considered it an incredibly exciting concept, as Davidson has been a great inspiration to me throughout my career. Both of our photographic series were taken here in New York, and reflect not only our perspectives concerning the subjects of our pictures, but also the friendships we share with them. The parallels seen in the way we each dealt with the age gap between ourselves and our subjects formed a strong foundation for this dialogue. At the same time, the different time periods and contexts between our series add another interesting layer that highlights how both the city and its youth have evolved over the years.
As far as photography is concerned, I don’t believe any subject is taboo. It doesn’t matter how often it has been photographed. The time frame and situations change continuously, which makes recurring themes all the more interesting. To see certain aspects through the eyes of another photographer is always a very special experience – a reminder that we all live in our own dream, defined by our unique background and experiences. The individual worlds that each photographer creates with his or her images are always quite different."
Text: © Sara Messinger; Image: © Bruce Davidson
In Conversation+-
The exhibition at the Leica Gallery New York runs from 20th of May, 2025.
Sara Messinger+-
Born in a suburb of Philadelphia in 1998, she began studies of photography at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study of the NYU, and completed them with a Bachelors of Arts. Since then she has been working as a documentary photographer on long-term projects, with an emphasis on gender, identity and sub-cultures. In 2021 she was selected by The New York Times magazine to document the “reawakening” of New York City after the tough year of the Covid lockdown. Messinger lives in New York.
Bruce Davidson+-
Born on September 5, 1933, in Illinois, he began taking photographs at the age of ten. In his final year of high school, he won the Kodak National High School Photographic Award in the category of animal photography. From 1951 to 1954, he studied at the Rochester Institute of Technology and worked as a lab technician at Eastman Kodak. In 1955, he studied at the Yale University School of Design under, among others, Josef Albers and Alexey Brodovitch. His thesis project became his first publication in Life magazine. Davidson became a full member of Magnum Photos in 1959, followed by a stay in the United Kingdom. He developed a strong interest in the American civil rights movement. Beginning in 1966, he undertook the long-term project East 100th Street. In 1980, he published his acclaimed color photo essay on the New York City subway. He has received numerous awards and exhibited widely. He lives in New York.