Berlin personalities

This exclusive online photo exhibition showcases the work of Berlin photographer Leonore Schwarzer and her ability to capture the life of East Berliners in multifaceted images.

On 20th January 1921, Gustav Böß was elected mayor of Berlin. In a time plagued with inflation, a global economic crisis and the instability of the Weimar Republic, he was faced with a major challenge. However, his achievements were eventually overshadowed by a scandal that abruptly ended his era.

Heiner Müller is regarded as one of the most important German dramatists of the 20th century.

Through her border crossings between East and West, Eva Kemlein became one of the most important post-war photographers. Her photographs document a city in ruins, the early stages of post-war life and the theatre life of the stages in both East and West Berlin.

Adoptive Berliner Bernd-Horst Sefzik (1942–1994) made a name for himself as a photo journalist in the GDR and beyond. In the “Neue Berliner Illustrierte”, his reports contained striking images from across the globe.

Max Reinhardt (1873-1943) was one of the most prominent stage artists of the 20th century. While based in Berlin, he had a major influence on European and American theatre. Reinhardt’s creative works established the era of director’s theatre and the exploration of new possibilities. He inspired countless artists and contemporaries in the first half of the previous century.

“All I want is to dance…” Josephine Baker has been inspiring untold numbers of people around the globe for a century. She used dance to get out of the slums of the southern United States and from Paris she conquered the world’s stages in the 1920s.

A jurist, a reveller and a poet: the life of this exceptional character was full of contrasts. He was both a conscientious clerk and a passionate artist. In his works, everyday life and fantasy stood side by side and often merged and became one.

The Litfaßsäule [Litfaß advertising pillar] has been a Berlin landmark for over 160 years. In this article we will be presenting the life, work and legacy of its inventor Ernst Litfaß.

From an early age, Louise Schroeder displayed a keen interest in social policy and equal opportunities. After the Second World War, she became Berlin’s first governing female mayor.

Schinkel (1781–1841) was a man of many talents – not just as an architect, building officer, monument curator and city planner but also as a painter, illustrator, stage designer and designer. Above all though, his many buildings are what shape Berlin to this day. Be it New Guardhouse, Berlin Theatre, Palace Bridge or Friedrichswerder Church: his work marks the transition from classicism to historicism.

With her pictures of the 1920’s, Jeanne Mammen ranks as one of Berlin’s most well-known painters and graphic artists. During the Nazi regime and in the post-war period, the uncompromising artist broke new ground and yet remained true to herself.

Heinrich Zille, also known in Berlin as “Pinselheinrich”, remains one of the city’s most well-known and most popular artists. And yet, he was not born into a career in art: it was only following his dismissal as a lithographer from the Photographische Gesellschaft which provided him with the impetus to devote himself entirely to his craft.