Born in 1923 in Pittsburgh into the family of a well-known rabbi, Saul Leiter received his first camera as a gift from his mother 12 years later. Decidedly an artistic lad, he took photos and painted often, but the real turning point in his life was to be a visit to an exhibition of Henri Cartier-Bresson's photos at the MoMa in New York in 1947. It was at that moment that he decided to become a photographer.

His favourite subject - for his own personal projects - was street scenes, although his main source of income was from fashion shots. Amazingly, his work was only really discovered in the 1990s.

The exhibition at the Fondation Cartier-Bresson, a beautiful building dating from 1912, shows over a hundred black and white and colour photographs, mostly taken in New York around the 1950s. Our favourites are the colour photos that have those dusty colours that are so typical of the period. This something mythical about New York at that time, and there's a poignant beauty in the photos that part melancholy, part love of the city.

You can check out the photos of our visit to the exhibition here. We recommend going; the images presented here don't really do the photos justice...

Here's all the essential information for the Saul Leiter exhibition at the Fondation Cartier-Bresson in Paris

When: 16th January - 13th April 2008
Where: Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, 2 impasse Lebouis, Paris 14th arrondissement. Métro Gaîté (line 13). Bus n°s 28, 58, 88
Opening hours: open every day except Mondays, 1pm - 6.30pm (11am - 6.45pm Saturdays). Late night opening Wednesdays - with free entrance! - from 6.30pm - 8.30pm
Entrance fee: adults 6 euros, concession 3 euros. Last ticket 30 minutes before closing
Official site: here.


Bigger map here