Last weekend, Milan hosted an exclusive event of great importance for aficionados of photography. Coinciding with the company’s centenary celebration, Leica Camera decided to open a new space called the Leica Galerie and Store in the heart of Milan and only a few steps from Piazza Duomo.

he inauguration was marked by a series of great moments that started in the early part of the afternoon, and I was honoured to have been invited by Leica Camera on behalf of Luxurious Magazine to this unique event.

Leica chose to inaugurate this new space with an exhibition called “The Right Moment” organised in conjunction with Contrasto and the Forma Foundation. The exhibition included photographs taken by some of most renowned MAGNUM photographers. On display was a spectacular collection of photographs by Abbas, Bruno Barbey, Jonas Bendiksen, Werner Bischof, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Alex Majoli, and Steve McCurry. The images highlighted the incredible skills of the photographers in capturing unique moments and telling a story via the medium of photography.

Mr. Renato Rappaini, Managing Director of Leica Camera Italy commented: “One of the main targets of Leica Galerie is to offer to Milan a place where enthusiasts, but also those people who approach for the first time this world, can increase their skills and share creativity and experiences, all in a location full of passion and love for photography”.

The guests of honour at the event were Abbas and Bruno Barbey who took time out during the evening to talk at the “Auditorium San Fedele” where they explained in great detail the stories behind some of their photographs. For me personally, it was extremely exciting getting the chance to talk with Abbas and Barney, two people whom I consider to be masters of photography.

The event continued at the Leica Galerie with fresh food and drinks and the opportunity, thanks to the Leica staff present on site, a chance to test all the Leica cameras available. The two Leica cameras I really love the most, the medium format system Leica S and the more iconic full frame Leica M Series were the models I headed for first. I took photographs both inside and outside the store to understand their power in terms of maneuverability and to see for myself the quality of the images.

The opening of the Leica store in Via Mengoni in Milan followed those that had already taken place in other cities around the world such as New York, Frankfurt, Melbourne, Tokyo, Prague, Warsaw and Vienna.

The high-quality equipment at the event proved that Leica Camera wants to be more than ever the leading point of reference in the world of photography, not only for professionals but also for photographers of all levels. To enforce their goals, Leica Camera recently started a new series of workshops with its Leica Academy in Italy and around locations the world.

The Leica Academy is a great way to learn about the magical world of photography with the benefit of accessing some of the most powerful camera equipment available on the market today coupled with recognized professional photographers.

On 24th of May Leica Camera is going to inaugurate a completely new Headquarter in Wetzlar, Germany, with the official “Open Day” in Leitz-Park.

For more information about Leica Camera, Leica Stores and for the Leica Academy workshops visit the official website leica-camera.com.

Click below to see more images from the Leica Galerie in Milan