From Bauhaus and Le Corbusier to New York

Feininger was born in Paris at the start of the 20th century. He was the oldest son of the famous American painter Lyonel Feininger. At first he followed quite a different profession, learning to be a cabinet-maker in the Bauhaus school and later studying architecture. During his studies he became interested in photography, but rather from a technical perspective. His new hobby engrossed him to such an extent that he built his own camera with an extremely large telephoto lens, which he couldn’t afford as a student. After finishing school he started work as an architect in Hamburg and later even worked for a short time for Le Corbusier in Paris.

After the outbreak of WWII Feininger moved to New York where, shortly after his arrival and captivated by the grandeur of the American metropolis, he created images of the city landscape steeped in atmosphere, which would later find their place in modern photographic history. It was precisely these images, taken by Feininger in his early photographic period, which feature most prominently in the exhibition in the House of the Stone Bell.

LIFE: Feininger’s picture of the world

Feininger joined Life magazine as a photo-journalist in 1943 and was later to become the magazine’s Picture Editor. During his time with the magazine, LIFE became one of the most prestigious magazines carrying the best photojournalism from all around the world. From the pages of this magazine in the 1950s and 60s millions of people formed an impression of life on planet Earth. The exhibition “That’s Photography” also presents copies of Life magazine from the time when Feininger was on the editorial staff.

The Master’s photographic equipment

Visitors to the exhibition in the House of the Stone Bell can also see cameras which Feininger used in the post-war period. Key themes for Feininger are all manner of natural and man-made creations. He photographed buildings, skyscrapers, machines, workers and even natural motifs such as animal bones, deserts, flowers, details of leaves and shells. “When I look at a shell, a flower or a butterfly wing I don’t think about aesthetics. I just see them as they really are,” Feininger once said about his work.

Further information at andreasfeininger.cz.