Helmar Lerski (18 February 1871, in

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

– 19 September 1956, in

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

) was a photographer who laid some of the foundations of modern

photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

. His works are on display in the USA, Germany, Israel and Switzerland. He focused mainly on portraits and the technique of photography with mirrors. His birth name was Israel Schmuklerski. In 1876, the family moved to Zürich,

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, where the family was naturalized. In 1888, Lerski emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, where he worked as an actor. Around 1910, he began to photograph. In 1915, he returned to Europe and worked as a cameraman and expert for special effects for many films, including

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), better known as Fritz Lang (), was an Austrian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety Obituari ...

's ''

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...

''. At the end of the 1920s, he made a name as an avant-garde portrait photographer. In 1932, he emigrated with his second wife to

Mandate Palestine The Mandate for Palestine was a League of Nations mandate for British administration of the territories of Palestine and Transjordanwhich had been part of the Ottoman Empire for four centuriesfollowing the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in Wo ...

, where he continued to work as a photographer, cameraman, and film director. On 22 March 1948, they left what was by then

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

and settled again in Zürich.

Photographic work

*Series ''Köpfe des Alltags'': 1928 - 1930, published 1931 *Series ''Metamorphosen'': 1936, published 1982

Selected filmography

* '' When the Dead Speak'' (1917) * '' Maria Pavlowna'' (1919) * '' Children of Darkness'' (1921) * ''

The False Dimitri ''The False Dimitri'' () is a 1922 German silent historical film directed by Hans Steinhoff and starring Alfred Abel, Agnes Straub and Eugen Klöpfer.Klossner, Michael. ''The Europe of 1500–1815 on Film and Television: A Worldwide Filmograp ...

'' (1922) * ''

A Dying Nation ''A Dying Nation'' or ''Dying Peoples'' () is a 1922 German silent historical drama film directed by Robert Reinert and starring Paul Wegener, Otto Gebühr, and Fritz Kortner. It was released in two parts ''Heimat in Not'' and ''Brennendes Meer ...

'' (1922) * ''

Inge Larsen ''Inge Larsen'' is a 1923 German silent drama film directed by Hans Steinhoff and starring Henny Porten, Paul Otto and Ressel Orla.Bock & Bergfelder p.372 It was shot on location in Copenhagen. The film's sets were designed by art directors Al ...

'' (1923) * ''

The New Land New Land or ''variant'' may refer to: * ''The New Land'' (1972 film), a Swedish film * ''The New Land'' (1924 film), a German film * ''The New Land'' (TV series), a 1974 American dramatic series * ''New Land'' (magazine), an Australian magazine ...

'' (1924) * '' The Wig'' (1925) * '' The Holy Mountain'' (1926) * ''

Adamah Adamah (Biblical Hebrew : אדמה) is a word, translatable as Earth's surface, ground or earth, which occurs in the Genesis creation narrative. The etymological link between the word ''adamah'' and the word ''adam'' is used to reinforce the tel ...

'' (1948)

Publications

*Lerski, H.: ''Köpfe des Alltags'', Berlin: Verlag Hermann Rockendorf, 1931. *Ebner, F.: ''Metamorphosen des Gesichts. Die "Verwandlungen durch Licht" von Helmar Lerski.'' Steidl Verlag, Göttingen 2002. . *Eskildsen, U. (ed.); Lerski, H.: ''Verwandlungen durch Licht. Metamorphosis through Light,'', Freren: Luca, 1982. *Eskildsen, U.; Horak, J.-C.: ''Helma Lerski, Lichtbildner. Fotografien und Filme 1910-1947'', Folkwang Essen 1982.

External links

* * * *
Helmar Lerski: Metamorphose
in German.
Museum Folkwang

Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. In German.
Article about ''Metamorphosen''
Art Magazin, 2002.

at the

George Eastman House The George Eastman Museum, also referred to as George Eastman House and the International Museum of Photography and Film, is a photography museum in Rochester, New York. Opened to the public in 1949, is the oldest museum dedicated to photography ...

.
Exhibit in Museum of Art and Jewish History in Paris
in French and English. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lerski, Helmar 1871 births 1956 deaths Artists from Zurich German emigrants to Switzerland Israeli photographers Swiss photographers Swiss cinematographers Photographers in Palestine (region)

Photographic work

Selected filmography

See also

Publications

External links