EN
Herbert List, Self-portrait in a Mirror, Rome, Italy, 1955. © Herbert List Estate, Hamburg, Germany (detail)
Herbert List, Self-portrait in a Mirror, Rome, Italy, 1955. © Herbert List Estate, Hamburg, Germany (detail)

Born into a prosperous merchant family in Hamburg, Germany, Herbert List began an apprenticeship at a Heidelberg coffee dealer in 1921 whilst studying literature and art history at Heidelberg University. Between the two world wars, List immersed himself in the cosmopolitan culture of 1920s Germany, where Bauhaus, expressionism and Max Reinhardt’s theatre coexisted. In 1930, he met Andreas Feininger, Bauhaus master, who introduced him to the art of photography and the Rolleiflex camera. The rise of the Third Reich stifled List’s daily life, as Jews and homosexuals were the first targets of the regime, forcing the artist to flee Germany in 1936. In 1937, List divided his time between Paris and London, where he met Jean Cocteau and the photographer George Hoyningen-Huene respectively. He tried his hand at fashion photography, without great enthusiasm, and had his photographs published in Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, and Life among others. List preferred to focus on impeccably constructed still lifes, a style later referred to as fotografia metafisica, of which he became the most important representative. Leaving the restrictions of a fascist Germany behind, List’s work could be more playful and intimate. Mediterranean life on the coasts and ancient sites of Greece and Italy were List’s main

source of inspiration from 1937 to 1939, making these years his most fruitful. His first solo show opened in Paris in the summer of 1937. List began producing portraits of European and American artists set mostly in Paris and in Italy, among the most iconic were those of Pablo Picasso, Giorgio Morandi, and Pier Paolo Paolini. His style changed in the postwar years when his interest shifted from formal aspects to the human being. In 1951, Herbert List met Robert Capa, who convinced him to work as a contributor to Magnum. Spending time in Italy, his genre covered street photography, photo essays and portraiture. In 1953, he discovered the 35 mm camera. His work became more spontaneous, influenced by his Magnum colleague Henri Cartier-Bresson and the Italian Neo Realism film movement. Travels to Spain, Mexico, Morocco and the Caribbean followed. The postwar economy finally allowed List to complete several book projects that had been on hold, amongst these were Licht Ueber Hellas (1953), Rome (1955), and Napoli (1962), the latter in collaboration with film director Vittorio de Sica. From 1962, Herbert List set photography aside and dedicated his time to collecting the drawings of Italian Masters. He died in Munich on April 4, 1975.

Exhibitions

Publications

Biography

Biography
1903

Born in Hamburg, Germany

1921 - 23

Apprenticeship at a coffee importer in Heidelberg, Germany
Studies of literature and art history at the University of Heidelberg, Germany

1925

Joined the family coffee business

1926

First photographs taken during trips to coffee plantations in Latin America
and visits to San Francisco, CA, USA

1929

Taking over the family business

1930

Friendship with the photographer Andreas Feininger as a trigger for artistic photography
First compositions inspired by Giorgio de Chirico and Man Ray

1936

Move to Paris, France and London, Great Britain
Decision to commit oneself completely to photography
First commissioned work mainly in the fashion industry

1937

Relocation to Athens, Greece
Book project Licht über Hellas
First solo exhibition at Galerie Chasseur d'images in Paris, France

1941

Return to Germany after the invasion of German troops in Greece

1944

Soldier of the Wehrmacht in Norway

1945 - 52

New start in Munich, Germany
Creation of the photographic series  „Memento 1945“ – Münchner Kriegsruinen
Art director of the newspaper Heute

1953 - 64

Numerous trips to Italy, Greece, Jamaica and Mexico, among others
Spontaneous image finding by approaching the Leica 35mm camera
Book project Napoli with the Italian filmmaker Vittorio de Sica

1975

Died in Munich, Germany

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions
2022
Photography 1932 - 1961

Galerie Karsten Greve AG, St. Moritz, Switzerland

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2022
Herbert List - Das Magische Auge

Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hambourg, Allemagne

2021
ITALIA

Galerie Karsten Greve, Cologne, Germany

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2020-21
ITALIA

Galerie Karsten Greve, Paris, France

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2018
Something Like Exile

Photokunst Johanna Breede, Berlin, Germany

2017-18
The Magical in Passing

Ludwig Galerie, Saarlouis, Germany

2016-17
The Magical in Passing

Kunst- und Kulturzentrum KUK, Monschau, Germany

2015-16
La Strade e La Spiaggia

Contrasto Galeria, Milan, Italy

2015
Form To Photojournalism

Magnum Print Room, London, United Kingdom

2014-15
Licht über Hamborn

Henrichshütte Hattingen, Hattingen, Germany

2014
Licht über Hamborn

Foyer ThyssenKrupp Steel, Duisburg, Germany

2014
The Magical in Passing

Fondazione Stelline, Milan, Italy

2013-14
The Magical in Passing

Chiostri di San Domenico, Reggio Emilia, Italy

2012-13
Graphic Expression

Magnum Gallery St Germain, Paris, France

2011
Mediterraneo

Certosa Di San Giacomo, Capri, Italy

2011
Mediterraneo

Forma Galleria, Milan, Italy

2010-11
Das Erbe Pygmalions

Museum der Moderne, Salzburg, Austria

2010
Retrospective

Westlicht, Vienna, Austria

2008
Lo Sguardo Sulla Bellezza

Spazio Metropol, Milan, Italy

2007
Lo Sguardo Sulla Bellezza

Musei dei Capitolini, Rome, Italy

2005
Nigerian Images

Außereuropäische Kunst Dierking, Cologne, Germany

2004
Veiled

Stephen Daiter Gallery, Chicago, IL, USA

2004
Italian Diary

Fahey Klein Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA

2003
Retrospective

Museum im Kulturspeicher, Würzburg, Germany

2003
Retrospective

Museum Sankt Ingbert, Sankt Ingbert, Germany

2003
100 Jahre Herbert List

Haus der Fotografie, Hamburg, Germany

2000-02
Retrospective

Musée des Beaux-Arts, Montreal, Canada; Museum of Photography, Thessaloniki, Greece; Museo di Storia della Fotografia Alinari, Florence, Italy; IVAM, Centre Julio Gonzales, Valencia, Spain; Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany; Robert Miller Gallery, New York, NY, USA; Cultural Center, Chicago, IL, USA; Fotomuseum im Münchner Stadtmuseum, Munich, Germany;Hotel de Sully, Paris, France;Museum für angewandte Kunst, Cologne, Germany; Fundacion « La Caixa », Barcelona, Spain
 

1996
Diario Italiano

Biblioteca Nazionale, Torino, Italy

1996
Photographs From The 30s

Robert Miller Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1996
Diario Italiano

Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne, Switzerland

1996
Diario Italiano

Italienisches Kultur-Institut, Cologne, Germany

1995
München 1945

Fotomuseum im Münchner Stadtmuseum, Munich, Germany

1995
Diario Italiano

Palazzo Bagatti-Valsecchi, Milan, Italy

1995
Diario Italiano

Goethe Institut, Rome and Naples, Italy

1995
Diario Italiano

Palazzo Ruccellai, Florence, Italy

1995
Diario Italiano

Galleria Costa, Genova, Italy

1995
Hellas

Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, USA

1995
Hellas

Craig Krull Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, USA

1995
Le Forme Del Bello

Galleria Photology, Milan, Italy

1994
Hellas

Römisch-Germanisches Museum, Cologne, Germany

1993
Hellas

Glyptothek, Munich, Germany

1993
Hellas und München 1945

Musée National Des Monuments Francais, Paris, France

1993
Herbert List

Galerie Anita Neugebauer, Basel, Switzerland

1993
Hellas

PPS Galerie, Hamburg, Germany

1992
Herbert List

Galerie Zur Stockeregg, Zurich, Switzerland

1991
Herbert List

Fahey-Klein Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA
 

1990
Herbert List

Photographic Museum, Helsinki, Finland

1989
Herbert List

Charles Cowles Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1988
Junge Männer

PPS Gallery F.C.Gundlach, Hamburg, Germany

1988
Junge Männer

Fotografie-Forum, Frankfurt, Germany

1986
Herbert List

Pace MacGill Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1986
Herbert List

Olympus Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
 

1985
Herbert List

Chicago Public Library, Chicago, IL, USA

1983
Herbert List

Musée d‘Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France

1983
Herbert List

Galleria Rondini, Rome, Italy

1982
Herbert List

Galerie Octant, Paris, France

1981
Herbert List

International Center of Photography, New York, NY, USA

1981
Herbert List

Photographers Gallery, London, Great Britain

1981
Herbert List

Galleria Il Diaframma, Milan, Italy
 

1981
Herbert List

Palazzo Odeschalchi, Rome, Italy                   
 

1980
Herbert List

CCD Galerie, Düsseldorf, Germany
 

1977
Herbert List

Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt a. M., Germany

1977
Portraits

Kunsthaus Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland

1976
Herbert List

Die Neue Sammlung, Munich, Germany

1976
Herbert List

Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany

1976
Herbert List

Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany

1976
Herbert List

Kunsthalle Nürnberg, Nürnberg, Germany

1961
Herbert List

Städtische Galerie Lenbachhaus, Munich, Germany

1958
Herbert List

Galleria dell’Obelisco, Rome, Italy
 

1952
Kunst der Südsee und Frühe Kunst Amerikas

Amerika Haus, Munich, Germany

1942
Herbert List

Galerie Karl Buchholz, Berlin, Germany

1940
Herbert List

Parnassos Galerie, Athens, Greece

1937
Herbert List

Galerie du Chasseur d’Images, Paris, France

Group exhibitions
2020
Memoria e Passione. Da Capa a Ghirri. Capolavori dalla Collezione Bertero

CAMERA – Centro Italiano per la Fotografia, Torino, Italy

2019-20
Magnum: The Body Observer

Fundación Canal, Madrid, Spain

2018
Artist Complex. Photographic Portraits from Baselitz to Warhol. Platen Collection

Museum für Fotografie, Berlin, Germany

2018
NAUTILUS. Snails, Mussels, and Other Mollusks in Photography

Alfred Ehrhardt Stiftung, Berlin, Germany

2017-18
Inhabiting the Mediterranean

IVAM – Institut Valencià d’Art Modern, Valencia, Spain

2017
The Shape of Things. Photographs from Robert B. Menschel

The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, USA

2016-17
I grandi maestri. 100 anni di fotografia Leica

Complesso del Vittoriano, Rome, Italy

2016
bilderstrom. Der Rhein und die Fotografie 2016 - 1853

LVR LandesMuseum, Bonn, Germany

2015-16
Werkstatt für Photographie 1976 – 1986. And Suddenly this Expanse

Sprengel Museum, Hanover, Germany

2014
RealSurreal. Masterpieces of Avant-Garde Photography. Das Neue Sehen. 1920-1950. Siegert Collection

Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Germany

2014
Paris Magnum

Hôtel de Ville, Paris, France

2014
Lola Garrido Collection. A Portable History of Photography

The Pushkin State Museum, Moscow, Russia

2014
Das andere Griechenland. In Korrespondenz zu Gipsabgüssen antiker Plastik

Lindenau-Museum Altenburg, Germany

2013-14
Dinge – Stilllebenfotografie aus der Stiftung Ann und Jürgen Wilde

Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, Germany

2013
Greek Seas: A Photographic Journey in Time

Benaki Museum – Pireos St Annexe, Athens, Greece

2013
Tampa Collectors Show

Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tampas, FL, USA

2012-13
Art Faces. Des photographes rencontrent des artistes

Musée Würth, Erstein, France

2011
Industriezeit. Fotografien 1845 bis 2010

Städtische Galerie Neunkirchen, Germany

2011
Permanent Collection

The Athens House of Photography, Athens, Greece

2010-11
Never just looking

Forum für Fotografie, Cologne, Germany

2010
Nude Visions. 150 Jahre Körperbilder in der Fotografie

Museum Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany

 

2009
Stadt Land Fluss

Sprengel Museum, Hannover, Germany

2009
Nude Visions - 150 Jahre Körperbilder in der Fotografie

Münchner Stadtmuseum, Munich, Germany

2009
Die Erinnerung ist oft das Schönste. Fotografische Portraits von Romy Schneider

Museum Kunst & Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany

2009
Art of Two Germanys/Cold War Cultures

LACMA – Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA, USA

2008
Stilles Leben. Wenn die Dinge träumen – Aufnahmen aus der Sammlung 1910 -2008

Münchner Stadtmuseum, Munich, Germany

2008
Photo20esimo, maestri della fotografia del XX secolo

Museo d’Arte Moderna, Lugano, Switzerland

2008
Expérimentations photographiques en Europe des années 20 à nos jours

Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
 

2008
MAGNUM Photos 60 Years

Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

2007
Italies – Doubles Visions

MEP – Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris, France
 

2006
Straßenfotografie - Meisterwerke aus drei Jahrhunderten

Kunsthaus Kaufbeuren, Kaufbeuren, Germany
 

2006
Tiefenschärfe

Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, Baden-Baden, Germany

2006
Weltsprache Fußball

Art Center Berlin, Berlin, Germany

2005
Sparka boll!

Kulturhuset, Stockholm, Sweden

2005
1945 - Im Blick der Fotografie. Kriegsende und Neuanfang

Westfälisches Landesmuseum, Münster, Germany

2005
Annicinquanta. Curatore di sezione fotografia: Cesare Colombo

Palazzo Reale, Milan, Italy
 

2004
Subjective Photography 1948-1963

The Brno House of Art, Brno, Czech Republic

2004
Relating to Photography. Highlights aus privaten Frankfurter Fotografie-Sammlungen

Fotografie Forum International, Frankfurt, Germany

2004
Von Körpern und anderen Dingen. Deutsche Fotografie im 20. Jahrhundert

Kunstmuseum Bochum, Bochum, Germany

2004
On Bodies and Other Things. German Photography in 20th Century

Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow, Russia

2004
Von Körpern und anderen Dingen. Deutsche Fotografie im 20. Jahrhundert

Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin, Germany

2003
Frische Fische

Palais für aktuelle Kunst, Glückstadt, Germany

1999
Automaten – Phantasmen der Moderne

Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf, Deutschland
 

1997
Im Reich der Phantome – Fotografie des Unsichtbaren

Städtisches Museum Abteiberg Mönchengladbach, Germany; Kunsthalle Krems, Austria; Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland
 

1997
Wanderer, kommst Du nach Hellas…

Goethe-Institut und Museum für Photographie, Thessaloniki, Grreece
 

1997
Aegean-Trajectories in Light and Time

Photographic Centre of Skopelos, Greece

1997
Die Skulptur in der Fotografie

Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg, Germany; Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna, Austria
 

1997
Deutsche Fotografie – Macht eines Mediums 1870-1970

Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn, Germany
 

1995
Celebrities – Celebrities

Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany

1995
Magnum Cinema

Paris, France; Barcelona, Spain; London, Great Britain; Tokyo, Japan; Milan, Italy; Frankfurt, Germany; Hamburg, Germany

1995
Europe after the Flood

Sala Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain ; Künstlerhaus, Vienna, Austria
 

1995
Ende und Anfang. Photographie in Deutschland um 1945

Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin, Germany
 

1993
Torino e l’arte 1950-1970

Castello di Rivoli, Turin, Italy

1993
Biennale della fotografia

Palazzo dell’Automobile, Turin, Italy

1993
The Allan Chasanoff Collection

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, USA

1992
Photographie – Sculpture

Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France

1991
The Kiss of Apollo

Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco, CA, USA

1990
Ritratti d’Autore

Galleria Gottardo, Lugano, Switzerland

1990
Das Land der Griechen mit der Seele suchen

Agfa Foto-Historama, Römisch-Germanisches Museum, Cologne, Germany

1990
EXPO 90

Photomuseum Osaka, Osaka, Japan

1988
Photographische Erinnerungen

Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany

1987
The Ideology of Male Beauty

Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada

1985-95
Das Aktfoto

Fotomuseum im Münchner Stadtmuseum, Munich, Germany

1984
Subjektive Fotografie: Images of the 50s

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA, USA; Museum Folkwang, Essen, Germany

1980
Das imaginäre Fotomuseum

Kunsthalle Köln, Cologne, Germany

1980
Avant-Garde Photography in Germany 1919-1939

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA, USA
 

1979
Photographic Surrealism

New Gallery of Contemporary Art, Cleveland, OH, USA

1979
Deutsche Photographie nach 1945

Kunstmuseum Kassel, Kassel, Germany
 

1979
Photographie als Kunst 1879-1979

Tiroler Landesmuseum, Innsbruck, Austria; Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden

1978
Das experimentelle Photo in Deutschland 1918-1940

Galleria Levante, Munich, Germany
 

1977
Fotografische Künstlerbildnisse

Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany
 

1964
What is Man

World Exhibition of Photography, Hamburg, Germany

1955
The Family of Man

Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, USA

1954-55
Subjektive Fotografie 2

Saarbrücken, Germany   
 

1952
Exposition mondiale de la photo

Lucerne, Switzerland
 

1951
Subjektive Fotografie

Staatliche Schule für Kunst und Handwerk, Saarbücken, Germany
 

1935
Photographie

Musée des Arts décoratifs, Pavillon de Marsan, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France
 

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