Lucien Aigner

Lucien Aigner

American, born Hungary, 1901–1999
Birth placeHungary
Death placeWaltham, Massachusetts, United States
SchoolHungarian
BiographyPioneer photojournalist Lucien Aigner, who captured an era with images of Albert Einstein in droopy trousers and standing in front of a blackboard, and of the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini tweaking his nose, has died. He was 97-years-old.

The Hungarian émigré was among the first photojournalists to exploit the ability of the small miniature Leica cameras to capture instant images of pre-World War II Europe. Living in Paris throughout the 30s provided opportunity for Aigner to work freelance and he contributed features to the Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung, the Münchner Illustrierte Presse, VU, IIllustration, Weekly Illustrated, Lilliput, and Picture Post.

In 1939 he moved from the Paris of the 30s to the New York in the 40s. He continued to freelance but not always successfully. By 1947 Aigner's career as a full-time photojournalist was virtually at an end and during the next six years he crafted words as announcer, script writer and producer-director in the Hungarian section of the Voice of America. [April 7, 1999, www.biphoto.co.uk/ppn/1999/990407]


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