Frank Dabba Smith "Miriam, Lewis and Sarah: 8:15am (I and II) & Haus Friedwart: The Leitz Family Home"

Leica Gallery in New York

poster for Frank Dabba Smith "Miriam, Lewis and Sarah: 8:15am (I and II) & Haus Friedwart: The Leitz Family Home"

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Haus Friedwart: The Leitz Family Home
Haus Friedwart (‘awaiting peace'), the Leitz family home, was completed by Dr. Ernst Leitz II (1871-1956) between 1914-17, during the time of the First World War. The Leitz firm already was, by the time this home was completed, one of the leading microscope manufacturers in the world. Oskar Barnack's prototypes for the Leica had already been tested and the decision soon made to manufacture the camera in 1924, during a time of economic and political upheaval. From the beginning, Haus Friedwart served not only as the residence of the Leitz family but also as a tranquil setting for concerts and as a place of hospitality for musicians, photographers and politicians as well as company employees.

Under the guidance of Ernst Leitz II's grandson, Dr. Knut Kϋhn Leitz (born 1936), who both grew up in and lived for many years as an adult in Haus Friedwart, this home has been lovingly preserved both externally and in terms of its internal décor and furnishings.

Frank Dabba Smith has visited Haus Friedwart countless times during the course of his research into the help given by the Leitz family to the persecuted during the time of the Nazi regime. He has come to appreciate very much its present tranquillity as well as it being a setting for so much history. As he explains, "These photographs allude to a conflation of the present and past through invoking traces of the personalities who once lived here and the objects and designs with which they chose to live."

Miriam, Lewis and Sarah: 8:15am (I and II)
Over the course of five months, from winter 2007 to spring 2008, Frank Dabba Smith photographed his three children, Miriam, Lewis and Sarah, after driving them to school each morning. With images made over the passage of time, he notes that "minute details now emerge and questions may be raised about relationships, as well as living with structures and routines." This particular photographic activity ended only because of the change in school parking regulations due to heightened concerns about traffic congestion and security.

This work is both unique and yet, at the same time, very familiar. We are offered intimate glimpses into the normal everyday life of this family, revealing more far-reaching themes. The particular place and time become unimportant as we focus on each child's expressions and growing maturity.

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from March 02, 2012 to April 14, 2012

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