MONZA.- Step inside the beating heart of our cities, where concrete and steel rise to meet soaring passions. The Royal Palace of Monza's Belvedere is currently hosting "Saul Leiter. A window dotted with raindrops," the first major Italian exhibition dedicated to the enigmatic American photographer and painter. On view until July 27, 2025, this show offers an unparalleled journey into Leiter's lyrical, intimate, and profoundly original vision of mid-20th century urban life.


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Saul Leiter (1923-2013) was a quiet revolutionary. While his contemporaries pursued grand, documentary narratives of New York's imposing modernity, Leiter found poetry in the subtle, often overlooked details. "He transformed everyday moments into lyrical and intimate compositions, finding poetry in steam rising from manholes, umbrellas in the rain, and reflections in shop windows," states the exhibition's curatorial team. His work presents a "fairytale realism," composed of fleeting glimpses rather than direct observations – fragments of life that feel both real and dreamlike.

"Leiter reveled in what he saw. He wasn't interested in the hegemonic character of New York or its monstrous modernity," explains curator Anne Morin. "He invented optical games, intertwining forms and planes that hide and reveal what lies in the intervals, in proximities, in invisible margins." This unique approach allowed him to create what some have called "photographic haikus" – concise, evocative images that blend reality with abstraction, inviting viewers to slow down and truly see.

What makes this exhibition particularly extraordinary is Leiter's pioneering technique. Unlike many photographers who strived for absolute sharpness, he embraced obstruction. He famously shot through foggy windows, rain-streaked panes, and translucent fabrics, turning these "imperfections" into integral elements of his multi-layered compositions. These images often resemble abstract paintings, a testament to his profound sensitivity to color. Beginning his experiments with color photography as early as 1948, Leiter was decades ahead of his time, using bold hues not as mere representation, but as a powerful expressive tool that saturated his ordinary street scenes with an artistic resonance. This distinctive style caught the eye of the fashion world, leading to collaborations with prestigious magazines like Harper's Bazaar and British Vogue.

The exhibition uniquely highlights Leiter's dual identity as a painter and photographer, demonstrating how his artistic training deeply influenced his photographic eye. "I don't have a philosophy. I have a camera," Leiter famously said. "I look through the camera and take pictures. My photographs are the smallest part of what I see that could be photographed. They are fragments of infinite possibilities." This unpretentious philosophy allowed him to capture moments of quiet grace that others, perhaps weighed down by theory, might have missed.

A deeply private individual, Leiter remained largely out of the spotlight for decades, printing only a fraction of his vast archive during his lifetime. It was only after his death in 2013 that much of his extraordinary work, including thousands of previously unseen black and white nudes, began to emerge, solidifying his place as a pivotal figure in 20th-century photography. The Saul Leiter Foundation continues to unveil this hidden legacy, ensuring that Leiter's unique blend of painterly insight and poetic realism continues to inspire.

Featuring 126 black and white photographs, 40 color photographs, 42 paintings, and rare archival materials, "Saul Leiter. A window dotted with raindrops" is a rare opportunity to immerse oneself in the world of a true visionary. It’s an invitation to rediscover the beauty in everyday moments, seen through the eyes of an artist who captured life’s elusive charm.



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