Ilse Bing “Photography Through the Looking Glass”

While Frankfurt-born Ilse Bing’s 1931 Self-Portrait with Leica is an icon of modern photography, her exquisite black-and-white compositions, created mostly during her years in exile in Paris and New York, have not received nearly the attention they deserve. This first-ever monograph of the photographer (1899-1998) dubbed the “Queen of the Leica” is cause for celebration on two counts: Those with an interest in Bing’s work now have an authoritative source to consult; and students of the form now have proof that Bing ranks alongside Brassaï, Man Ray, and Henri Cartier-Bresson in the pantheon of 20th-century avant-garde photography. This book, based largely on unpublished material from Bing’s personal archive, combines biography with an in-depth study of her work in its historical context, creating a portrait of the artist as revealing as it is overdue.