Misfits, Marilyn Monroe
Reno, Nevada 1960
Gelatin silver print, cm. 40 x 50
Born of Russian parents in 1928, Elliott Erwitt moved to the United States of America in 1939 to live in New York and later in Los Angeles. A darkroom assistant’s job he did while attending the Hollywood High School started him on a photographic career. He studied film-making at the New School for Social Research, New York, in 1948, and became a staff photographer of Standard Oil with Roy Striker. He continued to apply for magazine photo contests while serving in the U.S. Army Signal Corps 1951-1953. He joined Magnum Photos by recomandation of Robert Capa in 1953, and his witty, humorous photographs quickly won his fame. In 1966, he became president of Magnum and remained in the post until 1968. He has been alternating between documentary photography and filmmaking since early 1970s. Following the publication of his book "Son of Bitch," he became famous as a maker of funny pictures where dogs play the starring role, and his work has been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide. Now he works and lives in New York.
