Leica Galleries Have fun 50 Years of Selling Photographic Art

Leica Galleries are celebrating their fiftieth anniversary this 12 months, marking a half-century of showcasing and elevating distinctive pictures worldwide. There at the moment are 26 Leica Galleries, which mix to host round 150 exhibitions yearly.

The very first Leica Gallery opened in Wetzlar, Germany, again in 1976, marking Leica’s sturdy dedication to current pictures as a critical and revered artwork type. At the time, there have been only a few gallery areas devoted to celebrating pictures’s creative and cultural significance. Leica was a real pioneer on this house and has remained one for the previous 50 years.

To have fun this exceptional milestone, Leica is pulling out all of the stops for a serious exhibition on the Leica Gallery Wetzlar in June. This celebratory exhibition consists of 50 pictures by chosen artists, every nominated by present administrators of Leica Galleries.

“The pictures feature the full spectrum of Leica photography, capturing intimate moments, fascinating stories, and creative perspectives presented by renowned photographers,” Leica explains.

“Our entire cultural program is geared towards sharing our enthusiasm for photography with a broad target group. Works by professional photographers are an indispensable part of Leica’s world. From the Leica Galleries, a wonderful international network has grown — a Leica family in the truest sense,” explains Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, Art Director and Chief Representative of Leica Galleries International.

“For me, photography is the most exciting artistic medium because a large proportion of the population encounters it on a daily basis,” Rehn-Kaufmann continues.

When the very first Leica Gallery opened 50 years in the past in Wetzlar, it was Leica’s first cultural establishment that introduced high-quality documentary and creative pictures in a devoted house, intently intertwined with Leica’s broader heritage. From its humble beginnings of a single exhibition of German photographer Paul Gluske’s journey pictures in a lobby in an administrative constructing, this idea has expanded dramatically.

Leica started increasing its gallery areas within the Nineteen Nineties, together with Leica Gallery New York in 1994, Leica Gallery Prague in 2002, Leica Gallery Frankfurt in 2004, and plenty of extra within the years that adopted. Today, there are 26 Leica Galleries worldwide, together with seven in Germany. Leica opened a model new gallery in Wetzlar in 2014, increasing on its unique imaginative and prescient in a daring and exquisite approach.

Leica is increasing its gallery community this 12 months as effectively, including new areas in Chicago and Shanghai. Leica Gallery Chicago will be a part of three different Leica Galleries within the United States, together with areas in New York City, Boston, and Los Angeles. Leica Gallery Shanghai might be Leica’s first in mainland China.

Every single Leica Gallery contains a design and format distinctive to that location and hosts its personal lineup of occasions and exhibitions all year long. There is not any different community of pictures galleries like this on Earth.

“With each new gallery, the geographical reach and diversity of content grow. Leica Galleries champion both established masterpieces of photography and new, promising talent. The series recognized by the Leica Oskar Barnack Award are a major feature of the annual exhibition program,” Leica says.

“Over the past 50 years, countless iconic exhibitions have been presented. These have included works by renowned photographers like Inge Morath, Barbara Klemm, Herlinde Koelbl, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Sebastião Salgado, Elliott Erwitt, Thomas Hoepker, René Burri, Steve McCurry, and Ralph Gibson, as well as prominent figures including Bryan Adams, Lenny Kravitz, Andy Summers, and Jamie Cullum. Legendary reportages, intimate portraits, and impressive long-term projects have established the Leica Galleries as an integral part of the international photography scene.”

Image credit: Leica