Arts & Culture

Erich Lessing: 50 Years Of Photography

Celebrating 50 years of the vast ranging and captivating work of Austrian photographer Erich Lessing

Erich Lessing

Erich Lessing | 50 Years Of Photography Registration in a Turkish refugee camp. Edirne, Turkey. 1951. © Erich Lessing | Magnum Photos
Erich Lessing | 50 Years Of Photography The American film maker John Huston directing the the film 'Moby Dick', adapted from the novel by Hermann Melville. Canary Islands, Spain. 1954. © Erich Lessing | Magnum Photos
Erich Lessing | 50 Years Of Photography The American actor Gregory Peck playing Captain Ahab in John Huston's film 'Moby Dick'. Canary Islands, Spain. 1954. © Erich Lessing | Magnum Photos
Erich Lessing | 50 Years Of Photography George London rehearsing in the bathtub of his apartment. Vienna, Austria. 1955. © Erich Lessing | Magnum Photos
Erich Lessing | 50 Years Of Photography Meeting at the Eiffel Tower. (Left to right) German Ambassador Wilhelm Hausenstein; West-German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer; the French High Commissioner André Francois-Poncet and German press-chief (...)
Erich Lessing | 50 Years Of Photography Marcel Marceau, French mime artist who created the figure of 'Bip' a tragic white clown, in his dressing room. On the left the American actor Stan Laurel. Paris, France. 1958. © Erich Lessing | Magnum Photos
Erich Lessing | 50 Years Of Photography Imre Nagy, Hungarian liberal reform Communist with his granddaughter Katalin. Budapest, Hungary. 1956. © Erich Lessing | Magnum Photos
Erich Lessing | 50 Years Of Photography Federal President Dr. Theodor Körner on the terrace of the presidential residence. Vienna, Austria. 1953. © Erich Lessing | Magnum Photos
Erich Lessing | 50 Years Of Photography Woman repairing tracks in the former Hohenzollern Coal mine. Bytom, Poland. 1956. © Erich Lessing | Magnum Photos
Erich Lessing | 50 Years Of Photography Meeting of the veterans of the German 'Afrika Korps', Fieldmarshal Rommel's Army in North Africa. In the foreground: a young boy wears his dead father's medals. Goslar, Germany. 1951. © Erich Lessing | Magnum Photos
Erich Lessing | 50 Years Of Photography Before the building of the Berlin Wall, an elderly woman leaves the Soviet Sector of Berlin, carrying her meagre possessions. Berlin, Germany. 1951. © Erich Lessing | Magnum Photos
Erich Lessing | 50 Years Of Photography 10, Downing Street. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill welcomes German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. London, England. 1954. © Erich Lessing | Magnum Photos
Erich Lessing | 50 Years Of Photography Outside of the former central office of 'Szabad Nép', crowds try to catch the first edition of 'Függetlenség' (Independence). Budapest, Hungry. 1956. © Erich Lessing | Magnum Photos
Erich Lessing | 50 Years Of Photography Soviet Prime Minister Nikolaï Boulganine, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, French Prime Minister Edgar Faure and British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden pose for the press in the courtyard of the (...)
Erich Lessing | 50 Years Of Photography The Lenin Museum, former pub where the first meeting of the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party was held, converted into a museum. Poronin, Poland. 1956. © Erich Lessing | Magnum Photos

In this collection of more than 100 photographs taken over the last 50 years, Erich Lessing’s work appears sometimes ironic, sometimes melancholy but always warm. The result is a poignant record of history of the post-war period, including the 1956 Hungarian revolution and summit meetings. Subsequently, this record of history shows the impact and consequence of the events of the mid-20th century including the plight of refugees and religious institutions under communism, as well as artistic creations and their creators.

“That derives from a humanistic upbringing and my basic attitude… I take mankind seriously in all its aspirations and desires and in whatever arises therefrom in religious, spiritual, artistic and political aspects… I wish to show history and to recount stories.”- Erich Lessing

Stay in touch
Learn about online and offline exhibitions, photography fairs, gallery events, plus fine print news and activities, on a monthly basis.
Get fortnightly tips and advice articles, find out about the latest workshops, free online events and on-demand courses.
Stay up to date every Thursday with Magnum photographers’ activities, new work, stories published on the Magnum website, and the latest offerings from our shop.