In 2025, Leica Camera AG is honouring the 100th anniversary of the Leica I. The programme celebrating the centenary includes worldwide exhibitions and events. In tribute to the region and city of Wetzlar, the birthplace of the Leica, numerous events will be held here over the course of the anniversary year. Among them, three prestigious exhibits at the Leitz Park will highlight the rich diversity of Leica photography. 

The Ernst Leitz Museum has put together a comprehensive retrospective exploring the life’s work of the renowned American photographer Joel Meyerowitz. The 100 exhibited images were selected by the artist himself. Meyerowitz has been one of the United States’ most significant photographers since the 60s. His street photography is unmistakable, with colour playing an essential role. The selected works range from the 60s with Meyerowitz’s early pictures of New York, to photos from Europe and China, snapshots from the streets of various metropolises, dramatic scenes in Manhattan after the 9/11 terror attack, to quiet still lifes with objects from Paul Cézanne’s and Giorgio Morandi’s ateliers, supplemented by self-portraits that the photographer has taken over the years. The exhibition will feature many images that have long been considered iconic. But there are also some recent discoveries, such as two images taken from the very first roll of film he used with his Leica M2 back in 1963.

New York is at the heart of his work. After meeting Robert Frank, Meyerowitz decided to quit his job as an art director and become a photographer. The ever-changing streetscapes, the tangle of logos and signs, and the encounters with diverse people and groups became his daily inspiration for photographic exploration. He started out by taking pictures in colour, added black and white to his palette a year later, and then finally devoted himself almost entirely to colour photography – not a matter of course in the 60s when the cost of developing colour film was still high and artistic photography was dominated by monochrome images. During a

year-long sojourn in Europe in 1966/67, he worked with two Leica cameras, one for black and white film and one for colour, in order to study the difference in visual impact. A few years later, Meyerowitz became one of the leading figures establishing colour as an artistic medium.

The exhibition The Pleasure of Seeing being shown at the Ernst Leitz Museum, prepared by Joel Meyerowitz together with the curators Karin Rehn-Kaufmann and Inas Fayed, presents the richness and constant development of the photographer’s work. It also gives insights into the street photography genre, the history of photography and how this medium has transformed. Meyerowitz fascinates us with his precisely composed images. He continues to move through the streets like an elegant dancer today, smooth but at the same time reserved, always coming as close to the action as possible.

The subjects of his photos continue to enthral us decades after being caught on film, inviting us to explore the scenes without ever revealing their meaning entirely. Meyerowitz’s pictures are still eye openers to this day – which is all the more important in times when most pedestrians are engrossed in staring at their mobile phones.

The exhibition was made possible with the kind support of WhiteWall.

Joel Meyerowitz was born on 6 March 1938 in New York City. He first studied painting before working as an art director. After meeting photographer Robert Frank, he decided to quit his job and dedicate himself to photography. Having gained intense experience on the streets of New York and made a few trips through the States, he travelled to Europe in 1966/67. He worked with different Leica M-models, such as the M2, M4 and M6, and continues to use the M- and S-Systems to create his pictures today. Meyerowitz has published various books and received many accolades, such as the Leica Hall of Fame Award with which Leica Camera AG honoured his life’s work in 2016. Meyerowitz lives in New York and London.

Montag bis Sonntag von 10 bis 18 Uhr