Ernst Haas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ernst Haas
Haas in 1986
Born	(1921-03-02)March 2, 1921 Vienna, Austria
Died	September 12, 1986(1986-09-12) (aged 65) New York, New York, United States
Nationality	Austrian-American
Occupation	Photographer
Spouse(s)	Antoinette Wenckheim (1951–1962) Cynthia Buehr Seneque (1962–1965)
Children	2
Awards	Hasselblad Award (1986)
Signature

Ernst Haas (born March 2, 1921 – died September 12, 1986) was a famous photographer from Austria and America. He was known for his amazing color photos and for telling stories with his camera, which is called photojournalism.

Over 40 years, Haas changed how people saw photography. He showed that photos could be both news stories and beautiful art. He took pictures all over the world after World War II. He was also one of the first to use color photography in new and exciting ways.

His photos appeared in popular magazines like Life and Vogue. In 1962, he had the first-ever solo show of color photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He also led a group of photographers called Magnum Photos. His book The Creation (1971) was a huge success, selling 350,000 copies.

Early Life and Learning

Ernst Haas was born in Vienna, Austria, on March 2, 1921. His parents, Ernst and Frederike Haas-Zipser, loved education and art. They encouraged him to be creative from a young age. His father enjoyed music and photography, and his mother wrote poems.

Haas went to a private school in Vienna called LEH Grinzing from 1935 to 1938. He studied art, literature, poetry, philosophy, and science. His schooling stopped in 1938 when Germany took over Austria and the school closed. He got his diploma from Rainer Gymnasium the next year.

During the war, Haas was sent to a German army labor camp. He worked six hours a day and went to school for two hours. In 1940, he left the army and went back to Vienna to study medicine. But he could only finish one year because he had Jewish family.

Discovering Photography

When he was a child, Haas wasn't interested in photography, even though his father tried to teach him. After his father passed away in 1940, Haas went into the darkroom for the first time. He learned to print old family photos. Soon, he started taking his own pictures.

Even though the war made his formal education difficult, Haas taught himself a lot about photography. In 1941, he was the "school photographer" at the Max Reinhardt Film Seminar. There, he took technical classes and became interested in making films. He also used his family's large library, as well as museums and libraries in Vienna, to learn more. He studied philosophy and poetry, which helped him think about how photography could be creative.

A book called A Poet’s Camera (1946) was very important to Haas. It mixed poetry with artistic photos. Many of Haas's first photos, like close-ups of plants and water, showed this influence.

Haas realized that photography could help him earn a living and share his ideas. In 1946, at age 25, he got his first camera. He traded a 20-pound block of margarine for a Rolleiflex camera in Vienna. He later said he didn't plan to be a photographer. It happened because he wanted to combine being an explorer and a painter. He wanted to travel and experience the world. Photography was a great way to do that.

In 1947, Haas had his first photo show at the American Red Cross in Vienna. He was teaching photography to soldiers there part-time. He took his photos to Zurich and met Arnold Kübler, the editor of Du magazine. Kübler showed Haas photos by Swiss photographer Werner Bischof of Berlin after the war. This made Haas think about how a photo could tell a story and also be a piece of art. When Haas returned home, he photographed the effects of the war in Vienna.

Haas' Homecoming Prisoners, Vienna, 1947

Haas got jobs from magazines like Heute. He often worked with Inge Morath. In 1947, they saw prisoners of war getting off a train and started taking pictures. Haas's photos showed the sadness of people looking for their lost family members. This photo story, called “Homecoming,” was published in Heute and Life magazine.

Joining Magnum Photos

A photographer named Warren Trabant showed Haas's “Homecoming” photos to Robert Capa, a famous war photographer. Capa was very impressed. He invited Haas to join Magnum Photos, an international group of photographers that was only two years old. Other famous members included Henri Cartier-Bresson and David “Chim” Seymour.

At the same time, Life magazine offered Haas a job as a staff photographer. But Haas wanted to be free to choose his own projects. He wrote to Life editor Wilson Hicks, saying he wanted to "stay free" to follow his own ideas. He believed he could give himself better assignments than most editors.

Moving to the United States

After working in Vienna and London, Haas planned a big project about America. It was hard to get a visa to the United States. But in 1950, Robert Capa made him Magnum's U.S. vice president. This helped Haas get the right papers, and he arrived in New York in May 1950. His first photos in the U.S. showed other immigrants arriving at Ellis Island.

New York City's streets were a popular subject for photographers. Haas's style was different from others. He used soft focus and other effects to create artistic photos. A critic named A.D. Coleman said Haas was like a "lyric poet" who used photographic effects to create beautiful images.

Haas continued to travel for his work, but he lived in New York City for the rest of his life.

Work for Life Magazine

In 1952, Haas traveled across the United States to White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. He planned to photograph Native Americans. He also took pictures of symbols, local details, and tourist spots, using the changing light and clouds. Life magazine published his photo story, “Land of Enchantment,” which was very popular. This story was one of the first big projects Haas created on his own.

Back in New York, Haas bought color film for a new project. He had tried color photography before, but this was his first big chance to work with this new and expensive medium. Haas spent two months photographing New York. In 1953, Life published his bright photos in a 24-page story called “Images of a Magic City.” These photos helped bring photography closer to abstract art.

New Ways with Color Photography

Haas' La Suerte De Capa, Pamplona, Spain, 1956

Even though Haas used black-and-white film for much of his career, color film became very important to his art. He often used special techniques like shallow depth of field (where only part of the photo is clear) and blurred motion. This helped him create photos that felt like metaphors or poems. When he first showed his blurred bullfight photos, the lab thought they were mistakes. But Life magazine published them in a 12-page spread! He wanted to "transform an object from what it is to what you want it to be." Haas hoped his photos would show the joy of seeing and of human experience.

Haas supported his artistic work by taking photos for news, advertising, and movies. While on these jobs, he would also take his own photos, turning his love for poetry, music, and painting into colorful images. As he became more famous, Haas traveled the world, taking expressive color photos in the U.S., Europe, South Africa, and Southeast Asia.

In the late 1940s, Haas switched from a larger Rolleiflex camera to a smaller 35mm Leica camera. He used the Leica for the rest of his career. For color photos, he often used Kodachrome film, known for its rich colors. To print his color photos, he used a special, expensive process called dye transfer. This allowed him to control the colors perfectly.

As color photography improved, more people wanted to see color images. Magazines like Life also got better at printing color photos. However, many photographers and art experts at first didn't think color photography was "art" because it was often used for advertising.

Leading Magnum Photos

In 1954, Robert Capa, the first president of Magnum, died while covering a war. That same year, Werner Bischof also died in an accident. After their deaths, Haas was chosen to be on Magnum's board of directors. He even went to Indochina himself to photograph the war.

After David “Chim” Seymour died in 1959, Haas became the fourth president of Magnum. He helped the group a lot as its leader. Haas understood Magnum's goals and encouraged its members to be excellent and creative. He wrote to the members, telling them to be more critical of each other's work to help everyone improve. He told them, "Don’t cover—discover!"

Exhibitions and Shows

In 1962, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York showed a collection of Haas's color photos from the past ten years. This show, called Ernst Haas: Color Photography, was MoMA's first solo exhibition just for color photos. It included about 80 prints. Edward Steichen, a famous photographer and director at MoMA, said Haas was a "free spirit" who found "beauty unparalleled in photography."

Before his solo show at MoMA, Haas's work was part of Steichen's famous exhibition The Family of Man, which opened in 1955 and traveled to 38 countries.

Advertising and Movie Photos

Haas was also a respected photographer for many films. He took still photos for movies like The Misfits, Little Big Man, Moby Dick, Hello Dolly, West Side Story, and Heaven's Gate. Director John Huston even hired Haas as a second-unit director for his 1966 film The Bible: In the Beginning to help show the creation part of the story.

Besides news and movie photos, Haas was also known for his advertising work. He created great campaigns for Volkswagen cars and Marlboro cigarettes, among others.

The Creation and Other Books

The Creation, by Haas

Haas loved and was amazed by nature. He took photos of natural elements throughout his career. His work on John Huston's film The Bible inspired him. Haas then started a big project to show the Earth's creation, as described in religious texts like the Old Testament.

His book The Creation, first published in 1971, had 106 color photos from all over the world. The photos were put together like a poem. The book was printed many times in different languages until 1988. It sold over 350,000 copies, making it one of the best-selling photography books ever.

Haas also published other books, including In America (1975), In Germany (1977), and Himalayan Pilgrimage (1978).

In 1980, Haas made a special limited edition of prints from The Creation. He also started working on a book about Japan and a project illustrating the poems of Rainer Maria Rilke, who inspired him throughout his life.

After he passed away, more books of Haas’s photos were published, such as Ernst Haas: Color Photographs (1989) and Ernst Haas in Black and White (1992).

TV Shows and Teaching

In 1962, the same year as his MoMA show, Haas was asked to write and host The Art of Seeing. This was a four-hour TV show for National Public Television. Newsweek magazine praised the show because Haas combined seeing with hearing. In the series, Haas showed what makes a good photograph. He explained how small changes in technique or perspective could transform images.

Haas also taught at many photography workshops. These included the Maine Photographic Workshops and the Ansel Adams Workshop in Yosemite National Park.

Personal Life

In 1951, Haas married Antoinette Wenckheim. They later divorced. In 1962, Haas married Cynthia Buehr Seneque. They had two children, Alexander and Victoria.

Gisela Minke was Haas's partner for many years. She encouraged his interest in Tibet, and their travels led to his book Himalayan Pilgrimage. Six years before he died, he met Takiko Kawai, who taught him about Japanese culture.

Later Life and Passing

In the early 1970s, Haas became interested in creating audiovisual slideshows. These were long shows of projected images with music. He explained that he loved music and could combine it with photography in these shows.

Haas had a stroke in December 1985. After that, he focused on planning two books he wanted to publish: one with his black and white photos, and one with his color photos. He was preparing to write his life story when he passed away from another stroke on September 12, 1986.

Legacy and Awards

In 1958, Popular Photography magazine named Haas one of the 10 greatest photographers in the world. This list included other famous names like Ansel Adams and Henri Cartier-Bresson. Just before he passed away, he won the important Hasselblad Award.

Several awards have been created to honor Haas. These include the Ernst Haas Award for Creative Photography and the Ernst Haas Photographers Grant. In 1998, the Ernst Haas Studio archive was moved to London to be part of the Hulton Getty Picture Library. In 1999, the Ernst Haas Memorial Collection was started at the Portland Museum of Art in Maine.

Today, the Ernst Haas Estate is managed by his children, Alexander and Victoria Haas.

Selected Awards

• Newhouse Award from Syracuse University, 1958
• The Cultural Award from the German Society for Photography (DGPh), 1972
• Wilson Hicks Medal from the University of Miami, 1978
• Hasselblad Photographer of the Year, 1986
• Leica Medal of Excellence: Master of Photography, 1986

Exhibitions

Ernst Haas's photographs have been shown in many places around the world.

Solo Exhibitions

• 1947: American Red Cross Headquarters, Vienna, Austria
• 1962: Ernst Haas: Color Photography, New York, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
• 1963: Ernst Haas World of Color, shown on five different continents
• 1965: The Art of Seeing, a traveling exhibition organized by Kodak
• 1971: The Creation, Rizzoli Gallery, New York
• 1976: Ernst Haas: An American Experience, International Center of Photography, New York
• 1992: Ernst Haas in Black and White, International Center of Photography, New York
• 2011: The Creation, Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Maine

Group Exhibitions

• 2012: Cartier-Bresson: A Question of Colour, Somerset House, London

Collections

Haas's work is kept in many public art collections, including:

• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, US
• Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany
• International Center of Photography, New York, US
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, US
• The Museum of Modern Art, New York, US
• International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House, Rochester, New York, US
• Rupertinum Salzburger Museum, Salzburg, Austria
• Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., US
• National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C., US
• International Photography Hall of Fame, St. Louis, Missouri, US

Images for kids

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  Haas in 1986

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  Ernst Haas's signature

See also

In Spanish: Ernst Haas para niños