Leica Galleries 50th Anniversary Exhibition "Personal Perspectives"

Alex Webb Cotton Candy, Oaxaca, Mexico 1990 from the exhibition "Personal Perspectives. 50 Photographs for 50 Years of Leica Galleries", Leica Gallery Wetzlar 2026

This summer, Leica Camera AG (Headquarters: Wetzlar, Germany; hereinafter "Leica") will host the exhibition "Personal Perspectives" at the Leica Gallery Wetzlar from Friday, June 26 to Sunday, September 20. The exhibition celebrates a historic milestone for Leica Galleries and highlights the crucial role they play in Leica's cultural promotion activities.

With the cooperation of Leica Galleries worldwide, the exhibition will feature a diverse selection of works, ranging from historical masterpieces to newly introduced contemporary works.

Leica Gallery Wetzlar in 1976

Since the first Leica Gallery was established 50 years ago at the Wetzlar headquarters as the foundation for Leica's cultural promotion activities, the galleries have continued to play a significant role based on the concept of greatly contributing to enriching cultural promotion. In April 1976, Leica's first exhibition space was set up in the entrance hall of the former Leica headquarters building. Over the following decades, Leica Galleries expanded worldwide to locations including New York, Prague, Frankfurt, and Tokyo.

A major milestone was reached in 2008 when Karin Rehn-Kaufmann opened the Leica Gallery Salzburg. Karin Rehn-Kaufmann subsequently became the Art Director and Chief Representative of Leica Galleries International. Leica Galleries International has since rapidly expanded the network worldwide, now encompassing 27 galleries. This expansion continues today, with an opening in Shanghai planned for this year.

Unlike today, where photography exhibitions are held everywhere from galleries to museums, such exhibitions were by no means common 50 years ago. In that sense, Leica undoubtedly possessed great foresight. Leica Galleries fulfill the clear, shared purpose of making photography accessible to people worldwide as an artistic expression, a historical record, and a medium for societal voices. Hosting around 150 exhibitions annually and presenting an exquisite balance of contemporary masterpieces and historical classics, Leica Galleries have become a symbol of outstanding photographic works, cultural dialogue, and the promotion of photographic culture.

Leica Galleries are positioned not only as spaces for photographers and people from around the world to meet, reflect, and interact, but also as entities that raise issues and encourage discussion on historical, political, and social matters by providing a venue for visual storytelling.

For the past half-century, Leica Galleries have been beloved as a symbol of the beauty and diversity of photography. Therefore, the 50th anniversary marks a momentous milestone for Leica.

The current Leica Gallery Wetzlar

"A Leica Gallery is not merely an exhibition space; it is a space where emotions meet. It is a space where one can not only view but experience photographic works, where stories are visibly conveyed, where diverse perspectives converge, and where elements Leica highly values—'precision,' 'authenticity,' and 'humanity'—can be experienced," says Karin Rehn-Kaufmann.

"In today's fast-paced, increasingly digitized world, such physical spaces are extremely precious. Here, opportunities arise for direct interaction between artists and the public, fostering dialogue and inspiration, and allowing hearts to be deeply moved by photography. These galleries provide true cultural value by offering exhibitions that fuse technology with emotion, and craftsmanship with clear intent."

The exhibition "Personal Perspectives" is held in response to the massive reception of a project initiated about a year ago, which asked Leica Galleries worldwide to select their favorite works from past exhibitions.

Because the photography exhibitions held at Leica Galleries to date have been highly diverse, the selected works are also richly varied, featuring everything from enduring historical masterpieces to powerful works by emerging talents.

For instance, works by heavyweights of the photography world such as Werner Bischof, Elliott Erwitt, Gianni Berengo Gardin, Thomas Hoepker, Bruce Gilden, Barbara Klemm, Ralph Gibson, and Joel Meyerowitz have been selected. From Japan, Herbie Yamaguchi and Mikiya Takimoto are participating.

Thomas Hoepker Old woman in the snow, Hamburg, Germany 1954 from the exhibition “Personal Perspectives. 50 Photographs for 50 Years of Leica Galleries”, Leica Gallery Wetzlar 2026

Jürgen Schadeberg Nelson Mandela in his former cell on Robben Island, South Africa 1994 from the exhibition “Personal Perspectives. 50 Photographs for 50 Years of Leica Galleries”, Leica Gallery Wetzlar 2026

Regarding genres, the selection encompasses reportage and portrait photography, as well as street photography—which heavily carries the image that "a Leica camera is used for shooting." The works range widely from those beautifully reflecting traditional photojournalism techniques to free, artistic creations.

Additionally, visitors can reconnect with past winning works of the "Leica Oskar Barnack Award" and discover contemporary approaches that resonate with historical masterpieces through the works of photographers like Franziska Stünkel, Lis Arango, and Muhamed Kilito. In this way, "Personal Perspectives" will introduce history and stories alongside deep expertise from the perspective of each Leica Gallery.

Through the impressive and outstanding selection of works currently exhibited in Wetzlar, one can strongly sense the immense significance of Leica Galleries. Over the past 50 years, Leica Galleries have presented ways to perceive events through photography and have shaped a unique part of photographic history. This influence has extended not only within the world of Leica but also to the global photography scene.