Germaine Krull

A pioneer of avant-garde photography, Germaine Krull lived a bohemian life that spanned four continents and included significant contributions to the fields of photomontage, photo book making, and photojournalism. Lacking a comprehensive archive until recent years, she received less recognition than contemporaries like Man Ray and André Kertész. After a nomadic childhood, Krull studied photography in Munich. She was expelled from the city for her left-wing political activity and was later arrested by the Soviet secret police in Moscow. Krull lived in Paris from 1926–35, where she produced commercial and fashion photographs and contributed intimate, expressive reportage to the illustrated magazine VU. Her highly acclaimed photobook Métal (1928) featured tightly composed images of the Eiffel Tower and other modernist structures in Paris and Rotterdam, exemplifying New Vision photography. During World War II, Krull was a photographer for the French Resistance. She later served as director of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, converted to Buddhism, and lived alongside Tibetan monks in India.