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)
Gargoyles, Notre Dame , 1930–1930

Josef Breitenbach

Gargoyles, Notre Dame , 1930–1930

Sale Date: April 28, 1999

Auction Closed

For ever and ever, 1938–1938

Josef Breitenbach

For ever and ever, 1938–1938

Sale Date: April 28, 1999

Auction Closed

V.E. day on Trinity Churchyard, 1945–1945

Josef Breitenbach

V.E. day on Trinity Churchyard, 1945–1945

Sale Date: April 28, 1999

Auction Closed

Akt: Torso, 1950–1950

Josef Breitenbach

Akt: Torso, 1950–1950

Sale Date: November 27, 1998

Auction Closed

Bertholt Brecht, 1937–1937

Josef Breitenbach

Bertholt Brecht, 1937–1937

Sale Date: October 7, 1998

Auction Closed

The hands of Max Ernst, 1942–1942

Josef Breitenbach

The hands of Max Ernst, 1942–1942

Sale Date: October 7, 1998

Auction Closed

Wassily Kandinsky painting in his Paris , 1933–1939

Josef Breitenbach

Wassily Kandinsky painting in his Paris , 1933–1939

Sale Date: October 5, 1998

Auction Closed

Eiffel Tower, Paris, 1928–1928

Josef Breitenbach

Eiffel Tower, Paris, 1928–1928

Sale Date: October 5, 1998

Auction Closed

Eiffel Tower , 1930–1939

Josef Breitenbach

Eiffel Tower , 1930–1939

Sale Date: October 5, 1998

Auction Closed

Portrait Wassily Kandinsky. Paris, 1938–1938

Josef Breitenbach

Portrait Wassily Kandinsky. Paris, 1938–1938

Sale Date: June 5, 1998

Auction Closed

Landscape, France, 1939–1939

Josef Breitenbach

Landscape, France, 1939–1939

Sale Date: April 7, 1998

Auction Closed

Madame M.K., 1938–1938

Josef Breitenbach

Madame M.K., 1938–1938

Sale Date: April 7, 1998

Auction Closed

Annabella, actress, 1932–1932

Josef Breitenbach

Annabella, actress, 1932–1932

Sale Date: October 9, 1997

Auction Closed

Dr. Reigler and J. Greno, 1933–1933

Josef Breitenbach

Dr. Reigler and J. Greno, 1933–1933

Sale Date: October 7, 1997

Auction Closed

Fanny, eight years, nudist camp, New Jersey, 1955

Josef Breitenbach

Fanny, eight years, nudist camp, New Jersey, 1955

Sale Date: May 1, 1997

Auction Closed

Dr. Riegler and J. Greno, Münich, 1933

Josef Breitenbach

Dr. Riegler and J. Greno, Münich, 1933

Sale Date: April 19, 1997

Auction Closed

For ever and ever, 1938

Josef Breitenbach

For ever and ever, 1938

Sale Date: April 18, 1997

Auction Closed

Dr. Riegler & J. Greno, 1933

Josef Breitenbach

Dr. Riegler & J. Greno, 1933

Sale Date: July 25, 1996

Auction Closed

Dr. Riegler and J. Greno, Munich, 1933

Josef Breitenbach

Dr. Riegler and J. Greno, Munich, 1933

Sale Date: April 24, 1996

Auction Closed

Still life solarization, 1942

Josef Breitenbach

Still life solarization, 1942

Sale Date: April 18, 1996

Auction Closed

Red urn, 1938

Josef Breitenbach

Red urn, 1938

Sale Date: April 18, 1996

Auction Closed

Portrait of a woman, Paris, 1935

Josef Breitenbach

Portrait of a woman, Paris, 1935

Sale Date: April 18, 1996

Auction Closed

Dr. Reigler and J. Greno, Munich, 1933

Josef Breitenbach

Dr. Reigler and J. Greno, Munich, 1933

Sale Date: December 14, 1995

Auction Closed

Dr. Riegler and J. Greno, Munich, 1933

Josef Breitenbach

Dr. Riegler and J. Greno, Munich, 1933

Sale Date: October 7, 1995

Auction Closed

English (US)

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