Saul Leiter : The Centennial Retrospective
- Saul Leiter: The Centennial Retrospective is the most complete and authoritative overview of one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century.
Published to mark the 100th anniversary of Leiter’s birth, this book brings together his pioneering color street photography, intimate black-and-white work, fashion images, paintings, and personal materials. It shows the full scope of an artist who quietly changed how we see the city, color, and everyday life.
Why we chose this book
This is the definitive Saul Leiter.
If there is one book that fully represents his vision, sensitivity, and importance, this is it. It captures not only his most iconic images, but also the consistency and depth of a lifetime of looking — calm, attentive, and deeply personal.
What you’ll find inside
A wide selection of Saul Leiter’s early color street photographs, decades ahead of their time
Black-and-white street scenes filled with intimacy and restraint
Fashion photography that blurs the line between editorial work and personal expression
Paintings and archival materials that reveal Leiter’s broader artistic practice
A carefully edited sequence that emphasizes mood, silence, and observation over spectacle
The city appears through windows, reflections, snow, shadows, fragments — never loud, never obvious.
Who this book is for
Readers interested in street photography beyond the decisive moment
Lovers of color used quietly, emotionally, and intuitively
Collectors looking for a museum-level monograph
Anyone drawn to photography that rewards slow looking and repeated returns
Why it matters
Saul Leiter helped redefine color photography long before it was accepted as serious artistic language. His work offers an alternative to spectacle and speed — photography as attention, patience, and intimacy.
The Centennial Retrospective is not just a retrospective.
It is a lasting record of a way of seeing that still feels radically relevant today.