All About Photo

From 15 February, Foam will be showing the colour photography of the influential German photographer Erwin Blumenfeld. Pat Blake for Vogue NY, 1954 © The Estate of Erwin Blumenfeld Blumenfeld (1897-1969) was born in Germany. He mastered photography in the Netherlands, where he shot portraits. After he went to Paris he built a career in fashion photography for a few years and he only worked in black and white. He liked to experiment with various techniques such as double exposure, distortion and solarisation. But from the moment that colour photography was introduced to the world, he transformed his original compositions in black and white into colour. His special repertoire of shapes and colours that he developed after he left for the United States in 1941 made him one of the most original fashion photographers in New York. The female body and death were his main sources of inspiration. Despite the fashionable frivolity, he distinguished himself by the surreal nature of his subje...

Erwin Blumenfeld: From Dada to Vogue, which will highlight a rare collection of early works by the legendary photographer many of which have never before shown in the UK. Beginning 5 October at Osborne Samuel, the exhibition will feature original photographs, collages, drawings and personal ephemera from one of the world's most influential fashion photographers. The exhibition will trace the development of Erwin Blumenfeld's experimental photography practice from his early collages through to some of the most iconic fashion imagery gracing the covers of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. Best known for his commercial photography, Blumenfeld also created avant-garde nudes, portraits and Dadaist collages that pushed the boundaries of the medium of photography and continues to influence photographers working today. The exhibition invites visitors to engage with one of the greatest twentieth century photographers, whose legacy lives on in and to enjoy a seldom exhibited collection of s...