[Leica] Leica Gallery Opening Reception - Thursady, June 23rd

[jwlee01 at gmail.com (John Lee)]

To the LUG,
I seem to have some difficulty getting this invitation out. So, once 
again,here's the invitation.
Cheers,John
_________________________________Erich LessingArresting Time:Reportage 
Photography 1948 - 197324 June 6 August 2005Reception: Thursday, 23 June, 6 
- 8 pm
Book-signing with Ercih LessingSaturday, 25 June, 2 - 4 pm
Leica Gallery670 BroadwayNew York, NY 10012212.777.3051212.777.6960, 
faxleicaphoto@aol.com_________________________________
---------- Forwarded message ----------From: LeicaPhoto@aol.com 
<LeicaPhoto@aol.com>Date: Jun 14, 2005 4:50 PMSubject: lessing textTo: 
jwlee01@gmail.com

"In terms of Erich Lessing's range and use of subject matter he is akin 
toErich Solomon (1886-1944) the instigator of the term 'candid camera'. 
ErichLessing's world is a search for meaning amongst the chaos that is life, 
thefinding of the known amongst the unknown? It brings Lessing into 
anexamination oflife; from birth to death, of the idiosyncrasy of the human 
condition in itsmultifarious manifestations and, not least, its need for 
politics, religionand ritual? He identifies with the ordinary, with the 
fruit of one's hand, withthe community of honest toil, identifies with the 
doer. He identifies withthose who have the same work ethic as himself. He is 
never in awe of grandeur?He delights in the joy, exuberance, in the joke, in 
the irony of life. He likespeople for who they are not what they are, rich 
or poor, known or unknown,all have his curiosity for he never ceases to 
look. In Lessing's world peopleplay, and play hard; they laugh and sing and 
dance and make love. They have lotsof children who parade their smiling 
innocence. He is not in any hurry totell them the truth of life; may they 
never know it... But the true influence ofphotography is in its contribution 
to the consciousness of the people, acontribution made over a long period of 
time." ? Alistair Crawford,"People Knownand Unknown: The Photography of 
Erich Lessing," Arresting Time: ReportagePhotography 1948-1973 (The Quantuck 
Lane Press, New York, 2005)
Erich Lessing was born in Vienna in 1923 into a middle-class Jewish 
family.His father, a dentist, died in 1933 and, with the rise of National 
Socialism,Lessing fled in December 1939, to Palestine which was under 
British control.Subsequently, his mother, a concert pianist, died in the gas 
chambers ofAuschwitz and his grandmother in Theresienstadt.
Erich Lessing studied at the Haifa Technical College; raised carp and 
troutin a kibbutz; and worked as a taxi-driver, radio mechanic and camera 
salesman.He then returned to his childhood hobby, photography, taking photos 
ofkindergarten children and beach scenes. Finally, he became a 
civilianphotographerwith the Sixth Airborne Division of the British Army.
After the war, in 1947, he returned to Austria and worked as a 
photographerat Associated Press ? he secured his first position there from 
the journalist,Traudl Wiglitzky, whom he later married. Based upon his work 
and hisinternational reputation as a photojournalist, he was recruited by 
David Seymour(Chim), one of the founders of Magnum Photos, into that already 
prestigiousassociation, and, in 1951, with the approval of another 
founder,Robert Capa, Lessingbecame its tenth member. His work regularly 
appeared in LIFE, Paris Match,National Geographic, The New York Times, Quick 
and Heute. After his world-famouscoverage of the Hungarian Revolution of 
1956 ? he stayed there from thebeginning until the terrible end - Lessing 
began to turn to photographic"evocations" of famous historical personalities 
and away fromphotojournalism. It is thepath that he has continued to this 
day, resulting in over 45 books ongeography, history, art and religion.
Lessing has taught photographic workshops throughout the world and was 
aProfessor at the Academy of Applied Art in Vienna. For his seminal work on 
theHungarian Revolution, he was awarded the American Art Editors' Award;in 
1998, hereceived the Imre Nagy Medal bestowed by the President of Hungary. 
Lessinghas also received the French Prix Nadar, the Austrian Dr. Karl Renner 
Award; theSilver and Gold Medals for Outstanding Services to the City of 
Vienna; theGold Medal of the Province of Styria; and the Austrian Great 
State Award forPhotography.
Erich Lessing's 1996 exhibition at Leica Gallery, "The First Fifty 
Years,"was based upon the much larger worldwide traveling exhibition, "Fifty 
Years ofPhotography." This current exhibition is in celebration of a new 
seminalretrospective book on Lessing's photojournalistic work. Signed copies 
of theEnglish edition, Arresting Time: Reportage Photography 1948-1973, 
which has justbeen published by The Quantuck Lane Press (New York, 2005), 
will be availablethroughout the exhibition.
Rose and Jay Deutsch                                    On-site Directors