Ernst Haas (1921–1986) is acclaimed as one of the most celebrated and influential photographers of the 20th century and considered one of the pioneers of color photography. Haas was born in Vienna in 1921, and took up photography after the war. His early work on Austrian returning prisoners of war brought him to the attention of LIFE magazine. He declined a job offer as staff photographer in order to keep his independence. At the invitation of Robert Capa, Haas joined Magnum in 1949, developing close associations with Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Werner Bishof.
Haas moved to the United States in 1951 and soon after, began experimenting with Kodachrome color film. He went on to become the premier color photographer of the 1950s. In 1953 LIFE magazine published his groundbreaking 24-page color photo essay on New York City. This was the first time such a large color photo feature was published by LIFE. In 1962 a retrospective of his work was the first color photography exhibition held at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
Throughout his career, Haas traveled extensively, photographing for LIFE, Vogue, and Look, to name a few of many influential publications. He authored four books during his lifetime: The Creation (1971), In America (1975), In Germany (1976), and Himalayan Pilgrimage (1978).
Ernst Haas received the Hasselblad award in 1986, the year of his death. Haas has continued to be the subject of museum exhibitions and publications such as Ernst Haas, Color Photography (1989), Ernst Haas in Black and White (1992), and Color Correction (2011). The Ernst Haas Studio, located in New York, continues to manage Haas's legacy, aiding researchers and overseeing all projects related to his work.
| BORN | |
| 1921 - 1986, Vienna | |
| SOLO EXHIBITIONS | |
| 2016 | Color Brought to Life, International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum, St Louis, MO |
| 2012 | Ernst Haas: Classics, Duncan Miller Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA |
| Ernst Haas: Color Correction, Christophe Guye Gallery, Zurich | |
| 2011 | Recent Photography Acquisitions, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC |
| History’s Big Pictures, Monroe Gallery, Santa Fe, NM | |
| Ernst Haas: A Photography Retrospective, Post war Vienna 1945–1948, Museum der Moderne, Salzburg | |
| Color Correction, Atlas Gallery, London | |
| Ernst Haas, Basia Embiricos Gallery and Photo 12 Gallery, Paris | |
| The Creation, Weston Gallery, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA | |
| The Creation, Portland Museum of Art, Portland, ME | |
| 2010 | Exhibition from the book Color Correction, Arles Photo Festival, Arles, France |
| 2009 | Ernst Haas: Color Correction, curated by William Ewing, New York Photo Festival, New York |
| Force of Nature, Danese, London | |
| 2006 | Ernst Haas: Total Vision, Atlas Gallery, London |
| Ernst Haas: Hollywood, Farmani Gallery, Los Angeles, CA | |
| 2005 | reCREATION: The first color photography exhibition at MoMA, Bruce Silverstein Gallery, New York |
| 2002 | Ernst Haas Eine Welt in Trummern (A World in Ruins), Museum Der Moderne Rupetinum, Salzburg |
| Ernst Haas: A Re-Creation Part 1 and Part 2, Bruce Silverstein Gallery, New York | |
| Ernst Haas Reflections, Maison des Arts | |
| 2001 | Ernst Haas Reflections, Maison des Arts |
| Ernst Haas in Black and White, Ann Shanks Photography Gallery, Sheffield, MA | |
| Ernst Haas: Color and Black and White, Ann Shanks Photography Gallery, Sheffield, MA | |
| 2000 | Ernst Haas: New York, Soho Triad Fine Arts, New York |
| 1999 | Contour and Colour: Ernst Haas an Exhibition of Colour Photography, Connoly's, London, U.K. |
| 1998 | Only Time will Tell, Michael Hoppen Photography, London, U.K. |
| 1996 | Ernst Haas (1921–1986) Photographien, Neue Galerie der Stadt Linz, Austria |
| 1994 | Ernst Haas in Black and White, Etherton Gallery, Tucson, Arizona |
| Ernst Haas in Black and White, Kathleen Ewing Gallery, Washington, D.C. | |
| Rediscovery of a New Vision, A.O.I. Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico | |
| 1993 | Rediscovery of a New Vision, A.O.I. Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico |
| Unpublished Black and White Images, A.O.I. Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico | |
| 1992 | American Photographs 1950–1975, Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York |
| Ernst Haas in Black and White, International Center of Photography, New York | |
| 1987 | Ernst Haas in Black and White, International Center of Photography, New York |
| 1986 | 1921 Ernst Haas: 1986, Museum des 20. Jahrhunderts, Vienna |
| Ernst Haas, Silver Visions Gallery, Newton Upper Falls, Mass. | |
| Ernst Haas Photographs, Larry Kauffman Galleries, Houston | |
| To See, To Be, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester | |
| 1985 | Ernst Haas, Western States Museum of Photography, Santa Barbara |
| 1984 | St. Louis Botanical Garden |
| 1982 | Ernst Haas: Heimkehrer (Returning Soldiers), Salzburg, Galerie Fotohof |
| 1980 | The Creation, Elayne Art Gallery, Minneapolis, Elayne Art Gallery |
| 1978 | The Creation, Elayne Art Gallery, Minneapolis, Elayne Art Gallery |
| In Deutschland, Photokina, Cologne | |
| 1976-1977 | Ernst Haas, La Fotogalería, Madrid |
| 1976 | Ernst Haas: An American Experience, International Center of Photography, and Port Washington Public Library, New York |
| Ernst Haas, Space Gallery, New York | |
| 1975 | Ernst Haas, Space Gallery, New York |
| 1973 | The Creation, Kodak Gallery, London |
| Ernst Haas: Die Schöpfung (The Creation), Österreichisches Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Vienna | |
| Ernst Haas (Returning Soldiers), Landesgalerie im Schloss Esterhazy, Eisenstadt | |
| Ernst Haas: Die Schöpfung (The Creation), Photomuseum im Munchner Stadtmuseum, Munich | |
| 1972 | Ernst Haas: Die Schöpfung (The Creation), Photokina, Cologne |
| Ernst Haas nach Krieg (After the War), Museum des 20 Jahrhunderts; Kulturhaus, Kulturamt der Stadt, Graz, Vienna and Graz | |
| 1971 | The Creation, Rizzoli Gallery, New York |
| 1968-1971 | Angkor and Bali: Two Worlds of Ernst Haas, Asia House Gallery, New York. Under the auspices of The American Federation of Arts traveled to Grand Valley State College, Allingdale, Mich.; Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto; Stephens College, Columbia, Mo.; University of Manitoba, Canada; Kent School Kent, Conn.;University of Arkansas, Fayetteville |
| 1965 | Angkor and Bali: Two Worlds of Ernst Haas, Asia House Gallery, New York. Under the auspices of The American Federation of Arts traveled to Grand Valley State College, Allingdale, Mich.; Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto; Stephens College, Columbia, Mo.; University of Manitoba, Canada; Kent School Kent, Conn.; University of Arkansas, Fayetteville |
| 1964 | Poetry in Color, New York, The IBM Gallery |
| Ernst Haas/Color Photography, Washington University, St. Louis | |
| 1963 | Ernst Haas/Color Photography, Washington University, St. Louis |
| 1962 | Ernst Haas: Color Photography, sponsored by Mainichi Newspapers, Japan |
| Ernst Haas: Color Photography, Museum of Modern Art, New York | |
| 1960 | Ernst Haas, Cologne, Germany, Photokina |
| 1947 | American Red Cross Headquarters, Vienna, Austria |
| GROUP EXHIBITIONS | |
| 2016 | Who Shot Sports: A Photographic History, 1843 to the Present, Brooklyn Museum, NY |
| 2012 | Cartier-Bresson: A Question of Colour, Somerset House, London |
| New York in Color, Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York | |
| 2011 | History’s Big Pictures, Monroe Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico |
| 2010 | Beyond Color: Color in American Photography, Bruce Silverstein Gallery, New York |
| Photographs from 1950 to 2010, Picto, 60th Anniversary | |
| 2009 | Magnum’s First: A Re-Discovered Photo Exhibition, Monroe Gallery, New York |
| 2008 | The Enchanted Garden, Auckland Art Gallery |
| Paris in Color, D’hôtel De Ville, Paris | |
| 2007 | Marilyn Monroe: Life as a Legend, The Dayton Art Institute |
| First Contact: A Photographer’s Sketchbook, Bruce Silverstein Gallery, New York | |
| Easy Rider: Road Trip Across America, Yancey Richardson Gallery, New York | |
| 2005 | Coney Island, Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York |
| Remote Viewing Abstracted Worlds, Abstract Gallery | |
| 2003 | Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Apex Fine Arts |
| 2000 | Edward Steichen, Haas photographs included in the partial recreation of the Family of Man Exhibition, Whitney Museum of Art, New York |
| Photographs of New York, Brooke Alexander, New York | |
| Reflections in a Glass Eye, Works from the International Center of Photography Collection, International Center of Photography, New York | |
| Photographing Australia, Leica Gallery, New York | |
| Photographing Maine: 1840–2000, Maine Coast Artists, Rockport, Maine | |
| 1999 | Ernst Haas and W. Eugene Smith, Ann Shanks Gallery, Sheffield, Massachusetts |
| 1997 | Masters in Photography, Uma Gallery, New York |
| 1995 | Act II: Kissing, G. Ray Hawkins Gallery, Santa Monica, CA |
| Postwar Europe, 1945–1965, Art After the Flood, Barcelona, Spain | |
| 1994 | Appeal to this Age: The Photography of the Civil Rights Movement, 1954–1968, Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York |
| Magnum and the Cinema, London and Paris | |
| 1989-1998 | Master Photographs from “Photography in the Fine Arts” Exhibitions, 1959–1967, International Center of Photography, New York |
| 1987 | Le Temps d’un Mouvement: Aventures et Mesaventures, de l’Instant Photographie, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, organized by the Centre National de la Photographie |
| 1986 | In Spite of Everything, Yes, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover |
| 1985 | New York: The City and its People, Workers' Cultural Palace, Beijing |
| Photographs from the Magnum Archives 1932–1967, Pace/McGill Gallery, New York | |
| 1983-1985 | Vienna, Graz, and Linz; Museum des 20. Jahrhunderts, Neue Galerie am Landesmuseum Joanneum und Kunstlerhaus, and Neue Galerie der Stadt Linz. Geschichte der Fotografie in Österreich. (The History of Photography in Austria). |
| 1983 | Fotografie 83, Vienna, Stadthalle |
| 1982 | Color as Form: A History of Color Photography, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House, Rochester, New York |
| 1980-1981 | New York, International Center of Photography; Tucson, University of Arizona; The Minneapolis Institute of Arts; Long Beach, The Art Galleries, California State University; Wilmington, Delaware Art Museum. |
| 1980 | I Sing the Body Electric, The Squibb Gallery, Princeton |
| Glanzlichter der Photographie: 30 Jahre Photokina Bilderschauen (Highlights of Photography: 30 Years of Looking at Pictures), Photokina, Cologne | |
| Fotografia Arte e Uso (Photography, Art, and Usage), Museo de Arte de São Paulo, São Paulo | |
| 1979 | Venezia ’79: La Fotografia, exhibited at various locations throughout Venice |
| Photographie als Kunst 1879–1979, Kunst als Photographie 1949–1979, Innsbruck, Linz, Graz, and Vienna; Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum, Neue Galerie am Wolfgang Gurlitt Museum, Neue Galerie am Landesmuseum Joanneum, Museum des 20. Jahrhunderts. | |
| Celebration: New York in Color, Fifth Avenue Stores, New York | |
| 1978 | Mirrors and Windows: American Photography since 1960, The Museum of Modern Art, New York |
| 1977 | SICOF ’77, Sezione Culturale, Comune di Milano, Milan |
| 1976 | Reflections: Images of America, Rathaus, Vienna |
| Photokina: Weltmesse der Photographie, Kunsthalle Kslnischer Kunstverein Forum, Cologne | |
| 1975-1976 | Color Photography: Inventors and Innovators, 1850–1975, Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT |
| 1974 | Kreative Fotografie aus Östereich, Kulturhaus der Stadt Graz im Steirischen Herbst '74, Museum des 20, Jahrhunderts, Vienna |
| 1973 | 3rd World Exhibition of Photography: The Path to Paradise, Hamburg |
| The Concerned Photographer 2, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, organized by Cornell Capa in cooperation with The International Fund for Concerned Photography, traveled throughout Europe and the United States | |
| 1972-1973 | Photography into Art: An International Exhibition of Photography, Camden Arts Center, London, sponsored by The Arts Council of Great Britain |
| 1967 | Photography in the 20th Century, The National Gallery of Canada, Ottowa, organized by The George Eastman House of Photography and traveled to the Mendel Art Center, Saskatoon; Sherbrook University Art Gallery, Sherbrooke, Quebec; The Agnes Etherington Art Center, Queens University, Kingston |
| 1966 | American Photography: The Sixties, Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska |
| 1965 | IPEX, Gallery of Modern Art, New York |
| 1964 | The Photo Essay, The Museum of Modern Art, New York |
| World Exhibition of Photography, Hamburg, Kunsthallen und Kulturinstituten | |
| 1960 | Photography in the Fine Arts, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
| The World as Seen by Magnum Photographers, organized by Magnum Photos | |
| The Sense of Abstraction in Contemporary Photography, The Museum of Modern Art, New York | |
| 1959 | Photography in the Fine Arts, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
| Photography at Mid-Century, George Eastman House, Rochester | |
| 1957-1958 | Seventy Photographers Look at New York, The Museum of Modern Art, New York |
| 1955 | Biennale de la Photo et du Cinema de Paris, Grand Palais, Paris |
| The Family New York, The Museum of Modern Art, New York | |
| 1953 | Postwar European Photography, The Museum of Modern Art, New York |
| 1951 | Memorable Life Photographs, The Museum of Modern Art, New York |
| SELECTED PRESS | |
| 1996 | "A Celebration of One Hundred Years, PICTURES, 1896-1996," The New York Times Magazine Magazine, June 9 |
| "Adieu Ernst Haas," Photo, no. 230 | |
| 1984 | "Gluck mit Hanami," GEO, no. 6, June |
| 1983 | Grube, Dankwart. "New Orleans: Abschied von einer Legende," GEO, no. 1, January |
| Haas, Ernst.''Bhutan: Pilgerfahrt zum Tuch Der Tucher," GEO, no.7, July | |
| 1982 | Haas, Ernst. "Seit 60 Jahren lerne ich sehen." GEO SPECIAL., no. 3 |
| 1981 | Avedon, John. "Geoissues: Triumph of a People," GEO, vol. 35, May |
| 1979 | Dubos, Rene, and Edward Abbey. "The Eighth Day," GEO, vol. 1, no. 7, July |
| "Haas: L'Enchantement," Photo, no.143, August | |
| 1976 | Harrer, Heinrich. "Ladakh: Der Vorhof zum Nirwana," GEO, no. 12, December |
| 1975 | "American Reflections by Ernst Haas," Camera 35, December |
| 1973 | "Das Tal der 1000 Gotter," Stern, no. 44, October 25 |
| 1971 | "Les 'Coulisses' d'un Grand Western Vues par Ernst Haas," Photo, no. 43, April |
| 1970 | Hedgepeth, William. “America’s Indians: Reawakening of a Conquered People,” Look vol. 34, no. 11, June 2 |
| "Ernst Haas," CAMERA, no. 10, October | |
| Loh, Jules. "The Soul of the Navajo," Esquire, vol. 74, no. 5, November | |
| 1962 | "The New Third Avenue," The New York Times Magazine, sec. 11, December 9 |
| 1960 | "Les Grands Gestes Olympiques," PARIS-MATCH, no. 594, August 27 |
| 1958 | "The Magic of Color in Motion, Part 1: Famous Photographer Explores New Dimension of His Art," LIFE, vol 45, no. 6, August 11 |
| "Adventure in New Camera Realm: Photographer Records 'Magic of Color in Motion' on Land, Part II," LIFE, vol. 45, no. 7, August 18 | |
| "Venise ou l'Art d'Aimer," PARIS-MATCH, no. 486, August 2 | |
| "The Glass Canyon," Esquire, vol. 50, no. 6, December | |
| 1957 | “Violent Sweep of Warfare in Spain,” LIFE, vol. 43, no. 2, July 8 |
| 1955 | “The Glow of Paris,” LIFE, vol. 39, no. 5, August 1 |
| Durdin, Peggy. "Bangkok: One Capital That Doesn't Worry," The New York Times Magazine, July 3 | |
| 1954 | Durdin, Peggy. "Bangkok: One Capital That Doesn't Worry," The New York Times Magazine, July 3 |
| "Grande Manoeuvre Viet Sur Le 17e Parallele," Paris-Match, no. 249, January 29 | |
| "La Legion Est Leur Patrie," Paris-Match, no. 255, February 13-20 | |
| "Positano," CAMERA, no. 4 | |
| "Critical Stage in Indo-China," The New York Times Magazine, February 14 | |
| 1953 | “Africa”, LIFE, May 4 |
| "Gilles Largue Du Ciel Une Base De 8000 Hommes," Paris-Match, no. 247, Christmas 1953 | |
| “Images of a Magic City, Part I,” LIFE, September 14 | |
| “Images of a Magic City, Part II,” LIFE, September 21 | |
| "The Westminster Dog Show," Vogue, February 15 | |
| 1952 | "The New York City Ballet," Vogue, September 1 |
| "Judy Garland, The Phenomenon," Vogue, January | |
| "Dancing School," story on William de Rham teaching children to dance. Vogue, April 1 | |
| "Dancing School," story on William de Rham teaching children to dance. Vogue, April 1 | |
| 1951 | "At New York Parties," Vogue, December |
| 1950 | “Reflections” Piccadilly Square, LIFE, January 23 |
| "Miracle in Greece," Vogue, vol. 116, December | |
| 1949 | “What’s in a Picture?” Homecoming Prisoners of War, Vienna, LIFE, August 8, 1949. |
| PUBLICATIONS | |
| 1989 | Ernst Haas. Ernst Haas Color Photography. New York: Abrams |
| 1983 | Ernst Haas. The Creation. Revised ed. New York: The Viking Press |
| 1978 | Ernst Haas. Himalayan Pilgrimage, text by Gisela Minke. New York: The Viking Press |
| 1977 | Ernst Haas. In Germany. New York: The Viking Press, 1977 |
| 1975 | Ernst Haas. In America. New York: The Viking Press |
| 1971 | Ernst Haas, The Creation, New York: Viking |
| SELECTED AWARDS | |
| 1986 | Leica Medal of Excellence: Master of Photography |
| Hasselblad Photographer of the Year | |
| 1978 | Wilson Hicks Medal from the University of Miami |
| 1958 | Newhouse Award from Syracuse University |
| COLLECTIONS | |
| Provincial Museum Voor Kunstambachten, Antwerp, Belgium | |
| New Zealand Center for Photography, Auckland, New Zealand | |
| Royal Society of Photography, Bath, UK | |
| Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, US | |
| Mint Museum of Fine Art, Charlotte, North Carolina, US | |
| The Exchange National Bank of Chicago, Illinois, US | |
| Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany | |
| Erna and Victor Hasselblad Foundation, Goteborg, Sweden | |
| The National Museum of Art, Kyoto, Japan | |
| International Center of Photography, New York, US | |
| The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, US | |
| The Museum of Modern Art, New York, US | |
| Philip Morris Companies, Inc., New York, US | |
| Citibank Art Collection, New York, US | |
| Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US | |
| Reader's Digest, Pleasantville, New York, US | |
| Squibb Corporation, Princeton, New Jersey, US | |
| International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House, Rochester, New York, US | |
| Kimberly-Clark Corporation, St. Louis, Missouri, US | |
| Saint Louis Arboretum, St Louis, Missouri, US | |
| Museum of Fine Art, St Petersburg, Florida, US | |
| Rupertinum Salzburger Museum, Salzburg, Austria | |
| Western States Museum of Photography, Santa Barbara, California, US | |
| National Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan | |
| Museum Modern Kunst, Vienna, Austria | |
| Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., US | |
| National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C., US | |