Huxley-Parlour Gallery are delighted to present Elliott Erwitt: Double Platinum, an exhibition of work by the celebrated photographer, timed to coincide with his receipt of the Outstanding Contribution to Photography award by the World Photography Organisation, as well as the reopening of the newly expanded Huxley-Parlour Gallery space on Swallow Street, W1.

Indulging the photographer’s notorious partiality for a pun, the exhibition’s title refers to its dual purpose. It will be a doubled up exhibition of two rarely seen aspects of Erwitt’s work: his platinum prints and his photographs of Marilyn Monroe.

Platinum

The exhibition will be the first opportunity to view large-format platinum prints of Erwitt’s most celebrated photographs in the UK. Featuring some of the most well known photographs of the twentieth century, the platinum prints are stunning feats of innovation in printing technology that showcase a rich, subtle tonal range. The platinum collection includes examples of Erwitt’s famous humour, visual puns often underwriting street scenes and portraits. Examples of the more photojournalistic side of Erwitt’s work can be seen in one of his earliest photographs, showing the segregation of ‘White’ and ‘Coloured’ drinking fountains in North Carolina whilst a shot of fellow photographer, Robert Frank, dancing with his wife shows a charming, intimate moment.

Marilyn

Capturing the Hollywood star at work on film sets and at rest in her home, Erwitt photographed Marilyn Monroe through the 1950s and 60s. His photographs of Marilyn, taken at the height of the phenomenon surrounding her fame, immortalise the charisma and energy with which she mesmerised her colleagues, lovers, friends and fans. The exhibition will include Erwitt’s photographs of Monroe relaxing in her New York apartment, the iconic ‘white dress on the subway grate’ moment during the filming ofThe Seven Year Itch and those taken on the set of her last completed film, The Misfits, made poignant by her imminent death. Previously unseen colour photographs from the shoots will be on display as well as the original contact sheets.

Born on 26 July 1928 in Paris to Russian parents, Erwitt spent his childhood in Milan. The family immigrated to New York to escape the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1941 Erwitt and his father moved to Los Angeles and he began teaching himself photography whilst working in a commercial darkroom. After studying photography at Los Angeles City College he moved to New York in 1948 where he met influential photographers Edward Steichen, Robert Capa and Roy Stryker. Erwitt took photographs through his stationing to Germany and France during his military service and in 1953 Capa invited him to join the recently established Magnum agency. He would subsequently undertake important assignments including ‘the kitchen cabinet debate’ between President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev in 1959. He went on to serve three terms as the Magnum’s president and remains a member of the prestigious agency to this day. Erwitt has photographed numerous celebrities and personalities including the Kennedys, Fidel Castro, Chez Guevara, Humphrey Bogart, Jack Kerouac and Grace Kelly. He lives and works in New York.

Erwitt will be honoured at the Sony World Photography Awards this year for his outstanding contribution to photography through the course of his 70-year career.

Double Platinum promises to be one of the most exciting photography exhibitions this spring as Erwitt makes his overdue return to London. The exhibition will be the first to take place at Huxley-Parlour Gallery’s newly reopened, bigger and better gallery space.