Helmar Lerski
from the series Verwandlungen durch Licht

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Artist Helmar Lerski (Swiss, born France, 1871–1956)Swiss, born France, 1871–1956

CultureSwiss

Titles

from the series Verwandlungen durch Licht
from the series Metamorphosis through Light

Date1936

MediumGelatin silver print

DimensionsImage: 11 7/16 × 9 1/8 in. (29 × 23.2 cm)
Sheet: 11 7/16 × 9 1/8 in. (29 × 23.2 cm)

Credit LineGift of Manfred Heiting, The Manfred Heiting Collection

Object number2002.1533

Not on view

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Department

Photography

Special Collections

Manfred Heiting Collection of Photography

Object Type

PHOTOGRAPHS

DescriptionA photographer, filmmaker, and actor with a particular interest in special effects, Helmar Lerski was known for his striking portrait style, often using harsh, dramatic, and sometimes unflattering stage-lighting techniques. In the series Metamorphosis through Light, Lerski took more than 140 close-up portraits of a man named Leo Uschatz, using as many as sixteen mirrors and a number of filters. Under the varied effects of the portraits, the sitter seems to transform into a variety of characters. In some, he looks as if he were in a movie set, with the usage of special light.
Provenance Research Ongoing Exhibition HistoryExhibited, "Portraits from the Manfred Heiting Collection", Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Lower Brown Corridor, February 28, 2005-May 2, 2005.

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