Edition 2010

Ernst Haas

Born in 1921 in Vienna. Died in 1986 in New York.

Ernst Haas is acclaimed as one of the most celebrated and influential photographers of the 20th century and considered one of the pioneers of colour photography. His early Austrian work on returning prisoners of war brought him to the attention of Life magazine, but he courageously declined a job 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, Bishof and Cartier-Bresson. Soon after, Haas began experimenting with colour, and went on to become the premier colour photographer of the 1950s. He moved to the United States in 1951, and for the next 30 years traveled extensively, photographing for Life, Vogue and Look, to name a few. In 1962 New York’s Museum of Modern Art mounted its first solo exhibition of his colour photography. Haas 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) and Ernst Haas in Black and White (1992). The Ernst Haas Studio, located in New York, continues Haas’s legacy and contribution to the photography world by overseeing all projects related to his work.
  • Institutional partners

    • République Française
    • Région Provence Alpes Côté d'Azur
    • Département des Bouches du Rhône
    • Arles
    • Le Centre des monuments nationaux est heureux de soutenir les Rencontres de la Photographie d’Arles en accueillant des expositions dans l’abbaye de Montmajour
  • Main partners

    • Fondation LUMA
    • BMW
    • SNCF
    • Kering
  • Media partners

    • Arte
    • Lci
    • Konbini
    • Le Point
    • Madame Figaro
    • France Culture