ELLIOTT ERWITT in Sicily

THE EXHIBITION PRESENTED AT THE ROYAL PALACE OF PALERMO WILL OPEN TO THE PUBLIC STARTING TOMORROW, MAY 29, 2025. THE FEDERICO II FOUNDATION BRINGS ELLIOTT ERWITT’S WORKS TO SICILY FOR THE FIRST TIME. HE IS ONE OF THE GREATEST PHOTOGRAPHERS IN HISTORY

From dogs to human beings, from ordinary people to great figures such as Marilyn Monroe, JFK, Muhammad Ali, and many others: here are the photographs that have become icons of our society. The exhibition is of the highest qualitative level: the curatorial team has in fact selected an unpublished selection featuring the most iconic and significant photographs from the Master’s entire body of work, with the series ICONS, Kolor, Family, Self Portrait on display.

A total of 190 works, of which 110 are exhibited and more than 80 are presented in an HD video projection.

The exhibition is organized by the Fondazione Federico II with the Patronage of the Italian Ministry of Culture and the Consulate General of the United States of America in Naples.

There is also space for social inclusion: four people with disabilities have signed seasonal employment contracts and will be employed specifically to cope with the large visitor flows expected for the exhibition.

[PALERMO] The Fondazione Federico II presented this morning to the press at Palazzo Reale in Palermo the exhibition of one of the greatest photographers in history: Elliott Erwitt, known worldwide for his shots, which have become symbols of our society—true anthropological reference systems for exploring and evoking the most important historical events.

Erwitt represents one of the most influential and original figures in the world of photography because he was able to capture moments of everyday life with a unique vision, transforming them into iconic images that combine humor and depth of observation. A former President of the renowned Magnum Photos, Elliott Erwitt synthesizes in his works an interest in humanity and a taste for the fleeting moment, which he is able to capture with incomparable magic.

Among his favorite subjects are dogs: his ability to observe and portray the habits of these animals and their owners has produced images that tell us a great deal about society and human relationships. His canine photographs have been collected in several books, true reference points for lovers of photography and animals alike.

No less important is his work as a photographer of famous personalities. Erwitt immortalized legendary figures such as Marilyn Monroe, John F. Kennedy, and Muhammad Ali, creating portraits that go beyond simple schematization to reveal introspections and surprising aspects of his subjects. Famous is the photograph of Marilyn Monroe with her dress billowing up, taken on the set of The Seven Year Itch, an image that has become part of the iconography of the 20th century, with a value almost identical to that of the most renowned paintings in art history.

“The Fondazione Federico II,” said Gaetano Galvagno, President of the Ars and of the Foundation itself, “wants to be a protagonist on the international scene, offering the nearly one million visitors who in 2024 admired the historical beauties of Palazzo Reale in Palermo an important exhibition program with a cosmopolitan scope. With the exhibition of Elliott Erwitt, Palazzo Reale in Palermo continues to experience an exciting season of contemporary art, giving visitors an entire century of reportage and refined studies that the artist presents to us through his photographic lens.”

“Elliott Erwitt,” said Biba Giacchetti, co-curator of the exhibition and one of the foremost international experts on Erwitt, “was not only a photographer, but an unparalleled visual storyteller, capable of transforming the instant into history, the everyday into art, and irony into poetry. His images evoke emotions in those who observe them that move across different registers, from emotion to a smile, to the most spontaneous amusement. Passing away in November 2023 at the age of 95, he left us an immense legacy: an archive of photographs that traverse eras, cultures, and emotions with a universal language, inviting us to look at the world with greater indulgence and wonder, always standing by our side with that profound lightness he himself defined as ‘The Art of Observation.’”

“Elliott Erwitt,” commented co-curator Gabriele Accornero, “is, like his photographs: ironic, enigmatic, elusive, airy. Behind all this, one senses a great personality and a sharp, almost disarming intelligence. The artistic value of Erwitt’s work seems to be achieved almost incidentally; it is never pursued and perhaps for this reason it is so often perfectly centered. Sterile interpretative schemes borrowed from Art History do not suit Erwitt; he is concerned only with taking good photographs. Erwitt’s photographs are generally light, carefree, luminous. Yet this does not prevent some images from rising to the status of manifestos.”

Elliott Erwitt (Elio Romano Erwitz) was born on 26 July 1928 in Paris to Russian parents of Jewish origin. He died in his sleep at his home in New York on 29 November 2023. At over ninety years of age, and until his death, he continued to observe the world with curious eyes and to capture, with his unmistakable blend of humor and depth, the essence of the human condition. His work remains a testament to the power of photography as a tool for communication and understanding of the world, capable of overcoming linguistic and cultural barriers to speak directly to people’s souls.

The exhibition is of the highest qualitative level: the curatorial team has selected an unpublished selection featuring the most iconic and significant photographs from the Master’s oeuvre, with the series ICONS, Kolor, Family, Self Portrait on display. From a quantitative point of view as well, visitors are faced with an imposing exhibition: over 190 works visible, of which 110 are exhibited and more than 80 are presented in an HD video projection. The large dimensions of the images, both in Black & White and in Kolor, are particularly striking; all are presented with passe-partout and museum-quality frames, with more than 40 works measuring 100×150 cm. The exhibition design was specifically conceived to ensure an emotionally immersive experience.

The exhibition is also a tribute to the affectionate, ironic, and profoundly human gaze that the artist directs toward the female universe, with an entire space dedicated to it. In 2015, Elliott Erwitt devoted an entire volume to women. Charles Flowers, in the book’s preface, writes: “With four ex-wives, four adult daughters, and four granddaughters—not to mention the many women who, over the decades, did not fit into any of these categories—Erwitt has accumulated many answers to the question of the nature of women.”

Accompanying the visit as a sonic backdrop is a playlist taken from the historic concert in Central Park, Manhattan, by Simon & Garfunkel— that very place where, in a Penthouse Studio, Elliott lived and where the exhibition portrays the photographer in an original video interview, conveying his human side.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue published by Edizioni Fondazione Federico II and by a dedicated line of merchandising.

CAREER. His career began after studying photography at Los Angeles City College. His abilities did not go unnoticed: in 1948, when he met Robert Capa, he was invited to join Magnum, where he would work with Henri Cartier-Bresson and Marc Riboud. This environment and the related exchanges formed the basis of his artistic vision, the result of a perfect balance between reportage and visual poetry. What distinguishes Erwitt’s work is his ability to find moments of extraordinary beauty and meaning in the most ordinary situations, to grasp the irony and absurdity of the human condition, creating images that make one smile and reflect at the same time.

SOCIAL INCLUSION PROJECT

During the press conference, a social inclusion project strongly promoted by President Galvagno for the Fondazione Federico II was also officially announced. For the first time, four people with disabilities have signed seasonal employment contracts that will see them working at the Monumental Complex of Palazzo Reale during the summer months, precisely in conjunction with the large visitor flows expected for the Elliott Erwitt exhibition.