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Artworks
Erwin BlumenfeldNude study, 1948Ferrotyped gelatin silver print13 3/8 x 10 5/8 in. (34 x 27 cm)(BSG 15)***ERWIN BLUMENFELD (German, 1897 - 1959)
Erwin Blumenfeld was a fine art and fashion photographer, best known for his experimental depictions of clothing and the female form. As a child, Blumenfeld demonstrated an interest in photography. However, he did not pursue the practice until his mid-30s, when he began photographing customers at his handbag store, Fox Leather Company, in Amsterdam. Even in his first photographs, it is evident that Blumefeld viewed photography as an artistic outlet rather than a tool for commercial means. His early images of clients were exhibited in several local galleries and published in the French journal Photographie.
Following the closure of Fox Leather Company, Blumenfeld moved to Paris to pursue photography full-time, creating portraits of prominent artists such as Henri Matisse and Cecil Beaton. Blumenfeld continued his career in fashion photography, working for publications such as Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, but veered away from traditional methods to explore more experimental approaches to the genre. His work maintained a particular interest in women's fashion and the female form. Blumefeld’s photography is currently held in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and more.
