Born in Switzerland in 1961, Leutwyler is a self-taught photographer with a stubborn streak and unflappable love for the medium. His grandfather and father were both printers. He decided not to follow their path, instead to travel and photograph, soaking up color and culture from around the world. 

After being rejected by one of Switzerland’s leading photography schools, he opened his own photo studio in Lausanne, photographing cheese, chocolates and watches and went bankrupt in a year-and-a-half.

In 1985, Leutwyler moved to Paris where he apprenticed with photographer Gilles Tapie and rapidly established himself as an editorial photographer. A decade later, Leutwyler moved to New York City.

He has photographed the likes of Michelle Obama, Julia Roberts, Tom Wolfe, Iggy Pop, Rihanna and Martin Scorsese to name a few.

Leutwyler lives in downtown Manhattan.

Editorials

National Geographic, Conde Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Teen Vogue, GQ Style, The New York Times Magazine, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, Self Service, Victory, Out of Order, Beauty Papers, Esquire, Time, Elle, Numéro & The Wall Street Journal Magazine.

Books

2003 Flavor, published by Hyperion
2005 Elvis by the Presleys, published by Crown
2010 Neverland Lost, A Portrait of Michael Jackson, published by Steidl
2012 Ballet, Photographs of the New York City Ballet, 1st edition, published by Steidl
2015 Ballet, Photographs of the New York City Ballet, 2nd edition, published by Steidl
2016 Document, published by Steidl
2020 Hi there!, published by Steidl
2020 Glassworks, The Art of Frederick Birkhill, The Artist Book Foundation
2021 Product, Sartorius, published by Steidl
2022 Collection Personelle, published by Editions du Chêne
2022 Philippe Halsman, A Photographer's Life, published by Steidl
2022 Humanity, Red Cross & Red Crescent Museum, published by Steidl
2023 Plissé Homme - Issey Miyake
2023 The Tiffany Archives, published by Steidl
2023 Misty Copeland, published by Steidl
2024 Collection Electrique, published by Editions du Chêne,
2024 Birkenstock, Walk this way, published by Steidl,

Gallery Solo Shows

2010 M+B Gallery, Neverland Lost, Los Angeles, USA
2010 Foley Gallery, Neverland Lost, New York, USA
2011 Pobeda Gallery,Neverland Lost, Moscow, Russia
2012 Foley Gallery, Ballet, New York, USA
2013 Spainmedia Gallery, Neverland Lost, Madrid, Spain
2014 Photobastei, Neverland Lost & Ballet, Zurich, Switzerland
2014 Colette, Neverland Lost, Paris, France
2015 Colette, Fashion Is Nuts, Paris, France
2016 Foley Gallery, Document, New York, USA
2017 The Mass Gallery, Neverland Lost & Document, Tokyo, Japan
2021 Foley Gallery, Sacred Dust, New York, USA
2022 Isetan The Space Gallery, Ballet, Tokyo, Japan
2023 Issey Miyake Ginza | Cube Gallery, Homme Plissé, Tokyo, Japan
2023 Issey Miyake, Semba | Creation, Osaka, Japan

Group Shows & Installations

2017 Andy Warhol, Sordoni Art Gallery at Wilkes University PA, USA
2018 Arts Bienale, Neverland Lost, Vevey, Switzerland
2018 Arts Bienale, Installation, Hi There! Vevey, Switzerland
2019 Alt. +1000 Photography Festival, Museum of Fine Arts, Le Locle, Switzerland
2019 No'Photo, Photography Biennale, Installation, Hi There, Geneva, Switzerland
2019 Swiss-Sneaks, Adidas, Mudac, Lausanne, Switzerland
2020 Swiss-Sneaks, Tell Chapel, Lausanne, Switzerland
2021 No'Photo, Photography Biennale, Projection, Geneva, Switzerland
2021 Red Cross & Red Crescent Museum, Geneva, Switzerland
2024 Humanity, Red Cross & Red Crescent Museum & City of Geneva, Switzerland
2024 Philippe Halsman A Photographer's Life, Biennale Images, Vevey, Switzerland

Museum Solo Shows

2017 Museum of Fine Arts, Le Locle, Switzerland
2019 Stapferhaus, Survey Show, Fotofestival, Lenzburg, Switzerland
2024 Camera Museum, Vevey, Switzerland
2025 Camera Museum, Vevey, Switzerland

Permanent Collections

2020 Museum of Fine Arts, Le Locle, Switzerland
2021 Swiss Foundation for Photography, Winterthur, Switzerland
2021 9/11 Memorial & Museum, New York, USA
2024 New York City Ballet Foundation, New York, USA

Honors

ASME, ADC, SPD, Graphis, American Photography, James Beard, PDN & D&AD

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