Helmar Lerski
Helmar Lerski ( born February 18, 1871 in Strasbourg, † September 29, 1956 in Zurich; native Israel Schmuklerski ) was a Swiss photographer, cinematographer and film director.
Life
The son of Polish-Jewish emigrants couple Leah and Getzel Schmuklerski from Zgierz grew since 1876 in the later eingemeindeten Zurich Aussersihl quarter, where the family on August 28, 1887 received Swiss citizenship. On January 3, 1893, he traveled to the USA and joined in Chicago, Milwaukee and New York City on the German stage as an actor. Since 30 April 1897 he was called Helmar Lerski.
In 1910 he directed in Milwaukee with his wife Emilie, a photo studio one. From 1911 his picture appeared publications. This, together with exhibitions, he quickly gained a reputation as an innovative portrait photographer. 1914/15 he was a guest lecturer for German language and literature at the University of Texas at Austin.
In 1915 he returned to Europe and became a cameraman and photographer in Berlin. He worked for various production companies and was entrusted Waxworks because of his outstanding skills with technically demanding tasks such as Paul Leni. Lerski, who had married after the death of his 1921 deceased first wife in 1922, Anneliese Margaret Wolfkamp, was from 1925 to 1927 Technical Director for the Schüfftan Photography at Deutsche mirror GmbH & Co, which was used in Fritz Lang's Metropolis.
From 1929 he again worked as a portrait photographer. In 1931, he first traveled to Palestine to take pictures of Jewish settlers. In the fall of 1932 he went back there, and when in 1933 the Nazis took power in Germany, he did not return.
1936 was published in 1982 his photo series metamorphoses. From a single young man he made in Tel Aviv at around 140 photographic close-ups of the face. In addition to photos created Lerski at this time also some short documentaries in which he himself directed. 1937/38, he traveled to France and England to present his works. 1939 to 1941 he directed the film department of the Jewish trade union Histadrut. In addition to documentaries he created from 1945 to 1947 the puppet film Baalam 's Story. On March 22, 1948, he and his wife left Palestine and returned to Zurich.
Photographic works Lerski
From the series Jewish Soldiers (1942-1943)
Publications
Posthumously: