Yesterday was the birthday of the photographer Grete Stern. She was born on May 9th 1904, one hundred and nineteen years ago.
Grete Stern was born in Elberfeld, a town that later became a part of Wuppertal in Germany. Although her photographic career began in the country of her birth, she spent much of her artistic life in Argentina. She eventually became a citizen of that country.
She initially studied graphic arts, but inspired by the work of Edward Weston, she switched her emphasis to photography. Together with Ellen Rosenberg Auerbach she founded the Berlin-based ringl+pit photography and design studio. She emigrated and moved her studio to England in 1933 in response to the political climate in Germany.
Grete Stern in Argentina
Stern married the Argentinian photographer Horacio Coppola, whom she had met in Germany, and they began visiting his home country. Eventually, she emigrated there and took up permanent residency. Together, they mounted what is considered the country’s first modern photography exhibition, held in Buenos Aires.
One of her most notable photographic accomplishments in her adopted country was the creation of the los sueños (dreams) series. These were surreal photomontages created to illustrate descriptions of dreams submitted by readers of Idilio, a magazine aimed at working-class women, for which she worked. She produced over one hundred and fifty such images during the project, some of which represent her most recognisable works.
Grete Stern retired from photography in 1985 but lived another fourteen years. She died in Buenos Aires in 1999 at the age of ninety-five.
Were you familiar with the work of Grete Stern? Did you recognize any of the photographs in the article? Do you have any experience in creating photomontages? Do you think dreams have meanings or are just ephemeral subconscious debris? Let us know in the comments below.
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One thing I like most abput Macfilos is that there are always surpring articles. Some surprises are pleasant, some less convincing. I am grateful for the pleasant ones; the less pleasant ones I simply take note of. Some photographers, even from earlier times, interest me, some do not. Isn’t it valuable that we all have different interests? The whole world is talking about diversity now, so I think it’s good if we also try something out on Macfilos from time to time and then draw our conclusions from it.
But in any case, we should fight to maintain a civilised and friendly tone. Not everyone has to react to every contribution with enthusiasm. But no one who writes here pro bono, whether as an author or in a comment, investing time and talent in any case, should be treated disrespectfully.
Hi Joerg-Peter, many thanks for commenting and sharing your perspective. Cheers, Keith
Keith, just a note to offer my support. I appreciate the work you put into your articles and hope you continue to inform and entertain us. I found this article to be very interesting.
Thanks Kevin. I really appreciate your encouragement. Cheers, Keith
Hi John, I was surprised by your comment. Firstly, that you felt empowered to speak on behalf of Macfilos readers regarding what is interesting and what is not. We have averaged over 70,000 page views per month over the last three months. Have you consulted all those people? Secondly, that you would tell someone what they should or shouldn’t write about. I write about things that interest me. If the editor thinks they could be of potential interest to Macfilos readers, they are posted. If people like them, that’s a bonus. How about this: I don’t tell you what to write about and you don’t tell me what to write about. Deal?
Sorry Keith I appreciate you are well intentioned but I find this story and its ancient, outdated and tedious images totally lacking in interest. I am sure that in her day Frau Stern and her photos were widely lauded but today it is a different story. Times and tastes have totally changed, and I have as much interest in looking at her photos or hearing about her and her dreams as I have to listening to music on a horn gramophone.
With tens of thousands of stunning images being taken every day by talented photographers there is so much contemporary and interesting material for Macfilos to draw on. Let’s keep Frau Stern and her ancient images for the Antiques Roadshow.
Please do not take this the wrong way but I think you would find more people would be interested in Articles about readers of Mac. EG MR FAGAN, his is a true labor of love, I can’t imagine what his collection looks like or is housed in what sort of order or cabinets. What about Jono he has provided us all with many hours of pleasure! What about John S why isn’t he or Mike an Ambassador, John S blog is a thing of beauty. DAVID A, or Stephen I find their output amazing. I think w your fellow brain trustees could provide West Coast photos knock my socks off. Again this is not meant as criticism or any kind of slam against dead photogs, just think from a human interest pov you have a gold mine in Mac readership.
I hadn’t heard of Stern, and I must say I appreciate the exposure to these lesser-known, pioneering women photographers. Though, facetiously, I have to wonder whether you’ve access to some kind of calendar with a famous photographer on each day. How in the world have you been finding these people?
Looking at these photos I initially wondered if she was influenced by Dadist techniques. Looking through the web, many of her ‘dream’ images have very feminist overtones.
A surprising and interesting woman!
Hi Kathy, thanks for your feedback. As I have begun to spend more time on photography I have been learning more about some of the leading figures in the field. A small group of us brainstormed a list of such people and built a spreadsheet which included notable dates. This has enabled us to align photographer birthdays with the Macfilos publishing schedule. I think it is important to cover the diversity of leading photographers in terms of gender, nationality, style etc., hence including lesser know photographers such as Grete Stern. If there is a photographer you would like to write about, let’s track down their birthday and plan for a story! Cheers, Keith
My answers are NO, NO, NO, YES, IN SOME CASES. The lady certainly knew how to be different to those practising a conventional genre.