Authors

ELLIOTT ERWITT. RETROSPECTIVE

20.03.2026

—20.09.2026

In 2026, the History Meeting House (DSH) is celebrating its 20th birthday. To mark this occasion, we would like to invite you to visit a unique exhibition of nearly 130 photographs by Elliott Erwitt, a legendary Magnum Photos photographer. This is the first such a comprehensive retrospective exhibition in Poland to present over 70 years of Erwitt's work: the work of an artist who keeps inspiring photographers of various generations across the world to this day.

Elliott Erwitt: Retrospective

Curators: Katarzyna Puchalska, Beata Łyżwa-Sokół
Curators of the first edition of the exhibition: Elliott Erwitt, Andréa Holzherr (Magnum Photos)
Graphic design of the exhibition and visual identity: Lotne Studio (Barbara Sługocka, Julia Wróblewska)
Project coordination and exhibition production: Beata Łyżwa-Sokół, Christiana Vieira
Editor: Małgorzata Purzyńska
Translation: Krzysztof Ścibiorski; Elliott Erwitt’s biography: Anna Rosiak
Proofreading: Anna Kaniewska (Polish), Christopher Smith (English)
Exhibition installation: Mateusz Wierzbicki (Willow Service), Andrij Dulski
Print on the wall: Designyourwall, Paweł Tobiasz
Family guide: Katarzyna Witt, Magda Szymańska (editing and proofreading)
Promotion, administrative and accounting support, and production of accompanying events: History Meeting House team

Our warm thanks to Andréa Holzherr from Magnum Photos for her substantive support and assistance in execution of the exhibition.

Andréa Holzherr
Curator and art historian who studied at the École du Louvre and the Sorbonne in Paris. Since 2003, she has served as the Global Cultural Director and Curator at the Magnum Photos agency in Paris. She is responsible for promoting the Magnum Archive through a vast exhibition program conducted in collaboration with international museums, cultural institutions, and photography festivals. Previously, she was a curator and assistant to the director at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris. She is a member of the board of directors of the Fond de Dotation Magnum Paris and a member of the German Society for Photography (DGPh).

Holzherr has curated numerous exhibitions, including Bang Bang, Tatort Kunst (Haus für Kunst Uri and CCA Palma de Mallorca, 2012), Mythos Kindheit (Kunstverein Ludwigshafen, Haus für Kunst Uri, and CCA Palma de Mallorca, 2010), Elina Brotherus: The New Painting (Finnish Museum of Photography, 2006), and Stella Polaris (Paris Photo, 2006).

Her curatorial projects also include the 5th Fotofestival Mannheim–Ludwigshafen–Heidelberg in Germany (2013), Ernest Cole: House of Bondage (2023, co-curated with Anne-Marie Beckmann), and the group exhibition Magnum between Pages, in collaboration with the Hanmi Museum in Seoul (2025).

She is the author of several publications, including Close Enough (2024), Eve Arnold: Hommage (2012), The Helsinki School (2005–2011), George Rodger: Unterwegs 1940–1949 (2009), and Elina Brotherus (2005), as well as numerous contributions to specialized contemporary photography journals.

Katarzyna Puchalska
Cultural manager, producer and curator. She is a graduate of the Faculty of History at the University of Warsaw. Since 2025, she has been the director of the History Meeting House (DSH). She has curated or co-curated numerous exhibitions, and co-authored a number of albums, including Krzysztof Miller. 1989 (2018), Krzysztof Miller. Przełom i konflikty (Krzysztof Miller: Breakthroughs and Conflicts, Leica, Prague, 2019), Przełom w kadrze (A Breakthrough in the Frame, 2019), Niedenthal (2022), Chris Niedenthal. Esencjonalnie (Essential Chris Niedenthal, 2023), Straty Zamierzone / Non-Collateral Damage (Magnum Photos, DSH, 2025). Puchalska was the executive producer of the plays Ocalone (Survivors), directed by Maja Kleczewska, W maju się nie umiera. Historia Barbary Sadowskiej (No One Dies in May: The Story of Barbara Sadowska), directed by Anna Gryszkówna, Walentyna (Valentina), directed by Wojciech Faruga, the online show Pasta kulturalna (Cultural Pasta), and DSH’s Pasta TV project. She was also the artistic director and curator of the Heroines’ Festival, Warsaw Women’s Week, and several editions of the festivals Turn Off the System and We Chose Freedom: 4 June 1989. She was the creative producer of Agnieszka Uścińska and Jarek Wątor’s documentaries Niespodzianka (Surprise, 2019) and Przełom w kadrze (A Breakthrough in the Frame, 2019).

Beata Łyżwa-Sokół
Photo editor, educator, and author of texts about photography. She is a graduate of the Faculty of Journalism and Political Science at the University of Warsaw, the European Academy of Photography, and studies in museum curating at the Institute of Art History at Jagiellonian University in Kraków. For 16 years she worked at Gazeta Wyborcza as a photo editor for its daily edition, the Wyborcza.pl website, and the Duży Format supplement. For six years she headed the photo department at Gazeta Wyborcza and the Wyborcza.pl agency. She was the initiator of the Krzysztof Miller Competition for the best photographic work of the year. She also teaches press photography at SWPS University. Since May 2025 she has headed the Exhibition Department at DSH. She was co-curator of the exhibition and co-author of the album Straty Zamierzone / Non-Collateral Damage (Magnum Photos, DSH, 2025).