Elliott Erwitt (1928-present, French-American)

Self-portrait
1998

Elliott Erwitt (1928-present, French-American) is known for his candid shot black and white photographs. He photographed Marilyn Monroe, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara and also captured the historic meeting between President Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev. Born to Jewish-Russian immigrants in Paris, on the eve of WWII the family immigrated to the United States. Erwitt then studied photography and film making in California.

Erwitt was influenced by the great photographers of the time: Edward Steichen, Robert Capa and Roy Stryker. He soon became a freelance photographer and was invited to join Magnum Photos by Robert Capa. Erwitt claims that much of his success has come from being at the right place at the right time.

Even though Erwitt is known for his photographs and love of dogs, publishing four books centered on them, Son of a Bitch, Dog Dogs, Woof and Elliott Erwitt: To the Dogs, he also photographed cats, primarily including them in his photographs of women. Either in the arms of famous actresses, surrounding old “cat ladies” , or as symbols of fertility and motherhood, Erwitt captured cats’ importance as social and cultural icons.

Alameda CA 1978

Black Cat
Venice
1949

Cat Fight

Cat, NY 1950

Cat Posing on a Statue, Rome

Black Cat
South America 1972

Cat 1992

Louise with two kittens, NYC 1953

Wife and first child with cat

Woman and Kitten

Louise and Kitten, 1953

Woman and Cat

Black Cat
Rome 1959

Cat Hiding
Rome, Italy 1955

Dog and Cat
Long Island, New York. 1969

Dog and Kitten Normandy 1995

Black Cat on a Bed

White Cat
Rome 1955

Two Cats
Chinatown, New York 1955

Woman Feeding Stray Cats
Rome 1959

Old Woman and Stray Cats
Rome 1956

Woman and Cats
Paris

Ewa Aulin with Hurricane the Kitten
1968

Gabriella Farinon pickingup a cat, Elliott Erwitt, 1970's

Gabriella Farinon picking up a cat
1970’s

Monica Vitti holding a Cat on set of Infidelity

Ombretta Colli with her cat Angelo

Woman Grooming a Cat, 1953

Cat Show, NYC 1953

Cat Show, USA 1990

Child with White Cat, New York 1953

Cat Scratching
NYC 1990

Cat on a Bird Cage
Paris 1990

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