A Portrait of the Ordinary ILSE BING A Portrait of the Ordinary

Table of Contents 3-6 Biography 7-9 Queen of the Leica 10-15 Work Defined

Meet the Artist: Ilse Bing pioneered a hybrid between commercial and modern art as she worked across the disciplines of photo-journalism, fashion, advertising and solo exhibition in the 1930s.

Born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1899, Bing grew up exposed to music and art although she studied Math and Physics at the University. She eventually changed her major to Art History and upon writing her doctoral thesis on a famed German architect turned to photography to provide illustration. Her necessity quickly turned to skill and passion, while her work focused on architecture. These early German structures later became an influence on Bing’s style and perspective…

Her early work included a commission to document the building projects of modern architect, Mart Stam, an instructor at the Bauhaus School of Design.

BING IN PARIS Modern Art inspired Bing to MOVE TO PARIS where she became a part of the movement. Her work was featured in advertising, fashion magazines and exhibits. She earned the label “Queen of the Leica” photographing the movement of the Moulin Rouge Dancers

Can-can dancers at the Moulin Rouge are captured in more flowy, softer movement. This softer version of movement speaks to the subject’s style and environment. Queen of the Leica Bing pioneered the art of movement alongside the technological evolution of the Leica camera A dancer captured in motion, yet focused, by Bing and her Leica camera. A crisp, harder version of her work in movement.

Queen of the Leica Self-portrait In Mirrors, 1931 Bing and her Leica Camera

Night Photography Bing was among the first to successfully use the Leica and natural, reflected light, to photograph at night time.

Reflective Surfaces Bing’s private and commercial work often features the use of reflective surfaces to achieve the avant-garde expression she is known for.

Self Portrait, Canal Saint Martin, Paris More Reflection Maya Deren, 1943 Self Portrait, Canal Saint Martin, Paris

In Shadows Bing’s images are often reflected and play with shadow and light to create defining imagery.

Overhead Angles Bing’s work often featured an overhead perspective that contributed to her avant-garde style

Hard Angles Bing often played with heavy angles and geometrics, influenced by her German roots and early exposure to architecture. The duality present in Bing’s career is also present in her work; she experiments in both hard angles and softer edges.

Attracted to the Ordinary Bing was drawn to photographing the often overlooked aspects of urban life. Her work became known as “documentary humanism” for the ordinary subjects Bing photographed.

Featured Exhibits Bing was featured in significant exhibitions of modern photography, including Julien Levy's Modern European Photography and the Museum of Modern Art's Photography 1839-1937. ICP hosted a retrospective exhibition of her photographs in 1986.

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