Artist Index: Steinert, Otto

Die Bäume vor meinem Fenster II. 1956. Gelatin silver print on ivory paper. 14,3 x 17,7 cm (18 x 22 cm). Signed below image in brown ink (slightly faded), with the photographer's copyright stamp on the verso.

Otto Steinert was a German photographer and key figure in the Subjektive Fotografie movement, known for using experimental techniques to express emotional and abstract ideas rather than objective reality. His work, characterized by high contrast, multiple exposures, and unconventional angles, explores themes of light, shadow, and form, often blurring the boundary between photography and modern art. Steinert’s influence reshaped post-war European photography, encouraging a more personal, subjective vision that celebrated artistic experimentation. – Corners slightly bumped, some traces of previous mounting on verso, otherwise in near excellent condition.

La Comtesse de Fleury. 1952/printed later by Andreas Horlitz. Gelatin silver print. 26,8 x 17,8 cm (30,5 x 24 cm). Printer's stamp and annotated in pencil on the verso.

A few light pressure marks, otherwise a strong print in very good condition.

Lit.: Ute Eskildsen. Der Fotograf Otto Steinert. Göttingen 2000, ill. p. (variant) .

"Monika" (Portrait Monika Dietz). 1950. Vintage ferrotyped gelatin silver print. 40 x 29,3 cm. Mounted to original board, estate stamp, therein annotated and signed by Stefan Steinert in pencil on mount verso.

A few surface scuff marks, otherwise a strong print in very good condition.

Lit.: Ute Eskildsen. Der Fotograf Otto Steinert. Göttingen 2000, ill. p. 135.

"Abraumhalde bei Hühnerfeld" (Spoil heap near Hühnerfeld). 1953. Vintage ferrotyped gelatin silver print on Agfa-Brovira paper. 40,6 x 30 cm. Photographer's stamp and estate stamp, therein annotated and signed by Stefan Steinert in pencil on mount verso.

Some handling marks/creases, slight buckling in side edges, a few stronger creases in lower portion, small tear in lower edge, otherwise a strong print in good condition.

Woman feeding chickens in ruins in Saarbrücken. Late 1940s. Vintage ferrotyped gelatin silver print on ivory paper. 16,7 x 16,7 cm (18 x 24 cm). Herbert Strässer estate stamp on the verso.

A few light handling marks, otherwise a fine tonal print in very good condition.

Provenance: From the photographer to Herbert Strässer, currently the Herbert Strässer estate.

Homeless children living in ruins in Saarbrücken. Late 1940s. Vintage ferrotyped gelatin silver print on ivory paper. 17 x 17 cm (18 x 24 cm). Herbert Strässer estate stamp on the verso.

This and the following two photgraphs are rare images from Steinert's earliest period as a photographer. His keen eye for structure and composition are already evident in these images. Such vintage prints of Steinert's early work are rarely on the art market. These images have never been offered before. – Several handling marks, otherwise a fine tonal print in good condition.

Provenance: From the photographer to Herbert Strässer, currently the Herbert Strässer estate.

Steinert, Otto. Subjektive Fotografie 2. Ein Bildband moderner Fotografie. 40 S., 1 gefalt. Bl. (Inhaltsverzeichnis). Mit 112 Fotos auf Tafelseiten. 33 x 22,5 cm. OLeinenband mit illustr. OSchutzumschlag. München, Brüder Auer Verlag, 1955.
Heidtmann 5574. Erste Ausgabe dieses fotografischen Beitrages von grundsätzlicher Tragweite. Mit dem Beitrag des Verfassers "Über die Gestaltungsmöglichkeit der Fotografie" und von Schmoll von Eisenwerth "Vom Sinn der Fotografie". Das persönliche Erlebnis galt nunmehr als Ausgangspunkt der modernen Tendenz kreativer Fotografie. - Frisches Exemplar.