Winogrand was known for his portrayal of American life from the early 1960s to the 1980s, many of his photographs depict the social issues of the time and the role of media in shaping attitudes. He roamed the streets of New York with his 35mm Leica camera rapidly taking photographs. His pictures frequently appeared as if they were driven by the energy of the events he was witnessing. While the style has been much imitated, Winogrand’s eye, his visual style, and his wit, remain unique. At the time of his death aged 56 in 1984, Winogrand left behind nearly 300,000 unedited images, and more than 2,500 undeveloped rolls of film.

Winogrand is best known for his work in black and white. With the exception of a small selection of work published in the 2002 Arena Editions publication Winogrand 1964, UK audiences have not previously had access to his colour work. This unique selection of mostly unpublished works has kindly been curated by Joel Meyerowitz from his personal collection especially for FORMAT 11