Josef Breitenbach

(American/German, 1896–1984)

Josef Breitenbach was a German artist best known for his experimental photography. In his work, the artist played with a number of techniques, including bleaching, color printing, montage, solarization, and double exposure, to explore the ways in which light and color could alter an image. For example, in his work Shiela, the artist used overexposure to enhance the contrast between his model’s pale skin and dark hair. Born on April 3, 1896 in Munich, Germany to a wine merchant family of Jewish descent, he went on to study philosophy and art history at the Ludwig-Maximillian University in Munich. After completing his education, he began photographing for the Social Democratic Party in Bavaria after World War I. Breitenbach fled Germany during the Nazi’s rise to power due to his political allegiances and Jewish heritage in August of 1933, after nearly being arrested by the Strurmabteilung (SA). After living in Paris for six years, he immigrated to New York, where he was included in Edward Steichen’s 1955 exhibition “The Family of Man” at The Museum of Modern Art. Breitenbach died on October 7, 1984 in New York, NY. Today, Breitenbach’s works are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, among others.

Josef Breitenbach Artworks

Josef Breitenbach (313 results)
Aristide Maillol, 1935

Josef Breitenbach

Aristide Maillol, 1935

Ira Stehmann Fine Art

Price on Request

Gargoyle, Notre Dame, Paris, 1928, 1928

Josef Breitenbach

Gargoyle, Notre Dame, Paris, 1928, 1928

Sale Date: February 28, 2024

Auction Closed

Stone Heads, Paris, 1937, 1937

Josef Breitenbach

Stone Heads, Paris, 1937, 1937

Sale Date: February 28, 2024

Auction Closed

Badende, 1950

Josef Breitenbach

Badende, 1950

Sale Date: November 9, 2023

Auction Closed

The Sculptor (Portrait of Aristide Maillol..., 1936

Josef Breitenbach

The Sculptor (Portrait of Aristide Maillol..., 1936

Sale Date: October 5, 2023

Auction Closed

James Joyce, Paris, 1937

Josef Breitenbach

James Joyce, Paris, 1937

Sale Date: July 12, 2023

Auction Closed

Trinity Churchyard on V.E. Day, New York City, 1945

Josef Breitenbach

Trinity Churchyard on V.E. Day, New York City, 1945

Sale Date: February 8, 2023

Auction Closed

Fieldworker, India, 1962

Josef Breitenbach

Fieldworker, India, 1962

Sale Date: January 11, 2023

Auction Closed

Max Ernst and the Seahorse, New York, 1942

Josef Breitenbach

Max Ernst and the Seahorse, New York, 1942

Sale Date: February 10, 2022

Auction Closed

Huguette Benrubi, Paris, juillet 1939, 1939

Josef Breitenbach

Huguette Benrubi, Paris, juillet 1939, 1939

Sale Date: November 30, 2021

Auction Closed

Huguette Benrubi, Paris, juillet 1939, 1939

Josef Breitenbach

Huguette Benrubi, Paris, juillet 1939, 1939

Sale Date: November 30, 2021

Auction Closed

Huguette Benrubi, Paris, juillet 1939, 1939

Josef Breitenbach

Huguette Benrubi, Paris, juillet 1939, 1939

Sale Date: November 30, 2021

Auction Closed

Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris, 1937

Josef Breitenbach

Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris, 1937

Sale Date: November 30, 2021

Auction Closed

Autoportrait, Paris, 1935

Josef Breitenbach

Autoportrait, Paris, 1935

Sale Date: November 30, 2021

Auction Closed

Josef Breitenbach (German-American, 1896-1984), 1932

Josef Breitenbach

Josef Breitenbach (German-American, 1896-1984), 1932

Sale Date: November 9, 2021

Auction Closed

Untitled, from the series: This beautiful..., 1963

Josef Breitenbach

Untitled, from the series: This beautiful..., 1963

Sale Date: November 3, 2021

Auction Closed

Josef Breitenbach (1896-1984), 1937–1938

Josef Breitenbach

Josef Breitenbach (1896-1984), 1937–1938

Sale Date: September 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Reflected portrait of Edith D’Amara, Munich, , 1932

Josef Breitenbach

Reflected portrait of Edith D’Amara, Munich, , 1932

Sale Date: July 14, 2021

Auction Closed

Nude

Josef Breitenbach

Nude

Sale Date: June 23, 2021

Auction Closed

MONTPARNASSE, 1937–1938

Josef Breitenbach

MONTPARNASSE, 1937–1938

Sale Date: May 28, 2021

Auction Closed