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.

Related Categories

Photography

Related Artists

Harry Callahan, Kenneth Josephson, Alma Lavenson, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Charles Henry Traub

Josef Breitenbach Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Josef Breitenbach (313 results)
Sayoko, 1953–1953

Josef Breitenbach

Sayoko, 1953–1953

Sale Date: June 30, 2000

Auction Closed

Karl Valentin in Die verkaufte Braut,..., 1933–1933

Josef Breitenbach

Karl Valentin in Die verkaufte Braut,..., 1933–1933

Sale Date: June 30, 2000

Auction Closed

Das Fenster, Paris, 1937–1937

Josef Breitenbach

Das Fenster, Paris, 1937–1937

Sale Date: June 30, 2000

Auction Closed

Baumgruppe am See, 1933–1933

Josef Breitenbach

Baumgruppe am See, 1933–1933

Sale Date: June 30, 2000

Auction Closed

Korea, 1953–1953

Josef Breitenbach

Korea, 1953–1953

Sale Date: June 30, 2000

Auction Closed

New York mit Brooklyn Bridge, 1948–1948

Josef Breitenbach

New York mit Brooklyn Bridge, 1948–1948

Sale Date: June 30, 2000

Auction Closed

Novemberrosen, 1933–1933

Josef Breitenbach

Novemberrosen, 1933–1933

Sale Date: June 30, 2000

Auction Closed

Exposition internationale du surréalisme

Josef Breitenbach

Exposition internationale du surréalisme

Sale Date: June 17, 2000

Auction Closed

Helene Weigel, 1937–1937

Josef Breitenbach

Helene Weigel, 1937–1937

Sale Date: May 25, 2000

Auction Closed

Akt, Nudistencamp, New Jersey, 1950–1950

Josef Breitenbach

Akt, Nudistencamp, New Jersey, 1950–1950

Sale Date: May 25, 2000

Auction Closed

Akt, 1950–1959

Josef Breitenbach

Akt, 1950–1959

Sale Date: May 25, 2000

Auction Closed

Weiblicher Akt, 1953–1953

Josef Breitenbach

Weiblicher Akt, 1953–1953

Sale Date: November 26, 1999

Auction Closed

Portrait Bertolt Brecht, 1937–1937

Josef Breitenbach

Portrait Bertolt Brecht, 1937–1937

Sale Date: November 26, 1999

Auction Closed

Max Ernst, 1937–1937

Josef Breitenbach

Max Ernst, 1937–1937

Sale Date: November 6, 1999

Auction Closed

Akt, 1950–1959

Josef Breitenbach

Akt, 1950–1959

Sale Date: November 6, 1999

Auction Closed

New York, George Washington Bridge, 1960–1960

Josef Breitenbach

New York, George Washington Bridge, 1960–1960

Sale Date: November 6, 1999

Auction Closed

Paul Vailland-Couturier, 1933–1933

Josef Breitenbach

Paul Vailland-Couturier, 1933–1933

Sale Date: November 6, 1999

Auction Closed

J. Greno and Dr. Riegler, Munich, 1933–1933

Josef Breitenbach

J. Greno and Dr. Riegler, Munich, 1933–1933

Sale Date: October 7, 1999

Auction Closed

Nude torso, 1950–1950

Josef Breitenbach

Nude torso, 1950–1950

Sale Date: October 5, 1999

Auction Closed

Bertold Brecht, 1937–1937

Josef Breitenbach

Bertold Brecht, 1937–1937

Sale Date: October 5, 1999

Auction Closed

The red urn, 1938–1938

Josef Breitenbach

The red urn, 1938–1938

Sale Date: October 5, 1999

Auction Closed

Helene Weigel bei den Proben zu Brechts , 1937–1937

Josef Breitenbach

Helene Weigel bei den Proben zu Brechts , 1937–1937

Sale Date: June 4, 1999

Auction Closed

Weiblicher Akt, München, 1932–1932

Josef Breitenbach

Weiblicher Akt, München, 1932–1932

Sale Date: June 4, 1999

Auction Closed

This beautiful landscape, 1963–1963

Josef Breitenbach

This beautiful landscape, 1963–1963

Sale Date: April 29, 1999

Auction Closed

English (US)

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