Andreas Feininger

Andreas Feininger (1906–1999) was a German‑American photographer whose modernist vision helped define mid‑century urban and scientific imagery. Born in Paris to pianist Julia Berg and painter Lyonel Feininger, he spent his childhood in Germany and studied photography and graphic arts in Copenhagen and Stockholm, where the Bauhaus movement’s emphasis on form and function deeply influenced his work.

In 1939 Feininger emigrated to New York City, quickly becoming one of Life magazine’s premier contributors from 1943 to 1962. Over the course of 346 assignments, he captured the city’s monumental architecture—soaring skyscrapers, bustling bridges, and intricate industrial sites—often employing dramatic angles and high‑contrast lighting to reveal their geometric rhythms. His photographs of the Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan remain classics of architectural photography.

Beyond his editorial work, Feininger was a prolific author and educator. His manual, The Complete Photographer, along with more than 30 specialized books, provided generations of photographers with technical guidance and a rigorous approach to composition. In 1966 he received the Robert Leavitt Award from the American Society of Media Photographers, and late in life was honored with the International Center of Photography’s Infinity Lifetime Achievement Award.

Feininger’s images are held in major collections worldwide—including the Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the George Eastman House—and continue to inspire those who seek to merge precision, abstraction, and the dynamic energy of the modern world.