ERFURTH (Hugo). - Lot 99

ERFURTH (Hugo). Portraits. Edited by Otto Steinert. With an introduction by J. A. Schmoll, known as Eisenwerth. Gütersloh, Sigbert Mohn Verlag (Bertelsmann Lesering), [circa 1963]. Large quarto, publisher’s full white cloth binding, title on spine. An important monograph devoted to the great German portrait photographer Hugo Erfurth (1874–1948), one of the leading figures in European photography of the first half of the 20th century. A student of the Pictorialist movement before developing a highly modern photographic style, Erfurth established himself as early as the 1900s as the preferred portraitist of the German intelligentsia. His studio in Dresden welcomed writers, musicians, painters, architects, scientists, and actors, of whom he produced portraits of remarkable psychological intensity, combining compositional restraint, mastery of light, and an extremely precise gaze. This edition, edited by Otto Steinert, founder of Subjektive Fotografie, contributed significantly to the rediscovery of Erfurth’s work after World War II. The introduction by J. A. Schmoll, known as Eisenwerth—an art historian and photography specialist—situates his work within the history of the modern portrait. The extensive iconography, superbly reproduced in heliogravure, brings together several hundred portraits of major figures in 20th-century Germanic culture, making this volume one of the essential reference works dedicated to the artist. Condition: a fine copy. White cloth binding showing slight yellowing from age, a few very discreet marks and small superficial scratches, with a slight localized warping of the front cover. The interior is in very fresh condition. Complete with its half-title page bearing the publication note “Mit Einverständnis des Originalverlages - Im Bertelsmann Lesering.”