Los 4138

Biermann, Aenne
(1898-1933)Portrait of Martin Engels, Gera

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Fotografie des 19. – 21. Jahrhunderts (Katalog nur online verfügbar)
Auktionsdatum 6.6.2026

Portrait of Martin Engels, Gera. Ca. 1928. Vintage ferrotyped gelatin silver print, mounted to board. 22,5 x 17,8 cm. Signed and annotated "Gera" by the photographer in pencil below the image on the mount; photographer's "d.w.b" stamp, therein numbered twice in pencil on the verso.

Aenne Biermann was a self-taught photographer whose work, though developed independently of the European avant-garde, aligns closely with the formal clarity and experimental spirit of modernism. Today, several of her images are regarded as icons of New Vision photography, and her work was included in the landmark Film und Foto exhibition in Stuttgart. Following her early death, much of her oeuvre was confiscated under National Socialism, and many prints and negatives remain lost. The present photograph, sent by Biermann to her friend Martin Engels, constitutes a rare and personal document within her oeuvre. Gertrud and Martin Engels, progressive educators and long-time neighbors of the Biermanns in Gera, were part of her close circle. Biermann frequently photographed the Engels family - particularly the children - and such images are now held in major international collections.