100 YEARS OF LEICA - BRUCE DAVIDSON | SARA MESSINGER

100 YEARS OF LEICA

BRUCE DAVIDSON - Brooklyn Gang | SARA MESSINGER - Teenagers

Vernissage: Thursday, May 1st, 6-8PM

Duration: May 1st, 2025 - June 15th, 2025

In celebration of the centenary of the Leica I, Leica Store & Gallery New York is proud to present 100 YEARS OF LEICA, a landmark exhibition honoring a century of photographic innovation.

The New York exhibition, In Conversation: A Photographic Dialogue Between Yesterday and Today, features Leica Hall of Fame winner Bruce Davidson alongside rising talent, Sara Messinger. This compelling pairing highlights Davidson’s iconic 1959 series Brooklyn Gang and Messinger’s recent work with New York City teens. Together, their photographs explore the timeless spirit of youth, capturing raw emotion and personal connection across generations.

The exhibition presents the gritty, emotive work of both photographers at the forefront of documentary photography. Despite the decades that separate their work, both artists reveal that the heart of the New York City teenager remains a constant. Experience the enduring legacy of Leica and the lasting impact these photographers have made on their community.

Celebrate Leica's Centennial with us at the opening reception on Thursday, May 1st, from 6 PM to 8 PM at Leica Gallery NY

The exhibition will be open to the public from May 1st through June 15th, 2025.

About the Artists:

Bruce Davidson

Born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1933, Bruce Davidson attended the Rochester Institute of Technology and Yale University. During military service in Paris, Davidson met Henri Cartier-Bresson, one of the founders of Magnum Photos, and in 1958 became a full-time member. He worked as a freelance photographer for Life, and from 1958 to 1961 created such seminal bodies of work as Circus, Brooklyn Gang, and Freedom Rides. Davidson received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1962 and created a profound documentation of the civil rights movement in America, later published as Time of Change.

In 1963, the Museum of Modern Art in New York presented his early work in a solo exhibition. Five years later, the first photography grant from the National Endowment for the Arts was awarded to Davidson in 1967. He spent two years witnessing the dire social conditions on one block in East Harlem and went on to publish his book, East 100th Street. In the same year, it went on to becoming an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Davidson extended his view of the city in 1980 with Subway, which explored the New York underground and its subterranean travellers. His next project, Central Park, was a four-year encounter (1992–95) with the city’s magnificent green space. Davidson also released a film called Living off the Land which received the Critics Award from the American Film Festival.

Sara Messinger (she/her)

Born in 1998, Sara is a New York-based photographer. She studied at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, earning a Bachelor of Arts in History, Documentary, and Memory. Sara has completed special projects and portrait commissions for The New York Times, New York Magazine, and other publications. Her personal work delves into long-term stories that explore themes of gender, identity, and subcultures. Since 2021, she has collaborated with a group of teenagers in New York City, documenting their journey of self-discovery alongside her own.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Leica Gallery New York Meatpacking, 406 W. 13th Street, New York, United States