Roman Vishniac Rediscovered

The Contemporary Jewish Museum presents Roman Vishniac Rediscovered, an exhibition from the archive of the International Center of Photography, New York. A remarkable and versatile photographer, Roman Vishniac is known for his documentation of Jewish life in Eastern Europe, a world on the eve of its annihilation. His sensitive portraits taken in refugee camps and basement dwellings are reminiscent of the Depression-era work of Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans.

This exhibition reveals the full range of Vishniac’s very diverse body of work, spanning more than five decades. As a youth, he earned graduate degrees in biology and zoology, subjects that turned up later in his life. Photomicroscopy became Vishniac’s primary focus for the last 45 years of his life, by the mid 1950s he established himself as a pioneer in the field.

In this exhibit, Vishniac’s photographs of Berlin are really striking to me for the dramatic changes that were documented. As a young amateur, he photographed the streets of Berlin with an artistic, modernist approach. His development as a professional photographer coincided with the Nazi rise to power; he then tenaciously documented the ominous changes he encountered by pretending to photograph his daughter or passers-by, while including the Nazi propaganda in his shots. After the war, he returned to Berlin and documented the massive destruction that had taken place in the city.

In all, Vishniac’s work is a life work fueled by a passionate interest in the world around him. This exhibit portrays him as among the 20th century’s most accomplished photographers. The exhibit is beautifully designed. By the use of backdrops of changing color and enlarged images, the viewer is lead through this immense collection.

Roman Vishniac Rediscovered at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, through May 29, 2016.

All images: By Roman Vishniac, © Mara Vishniac Kohn, courtesy International Center of Photography. Roman Vishniac Rediscovered. On view February 11–May 29, 2016. The Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco.

(top to bottom)

Recalcitrance, Berlin, ca. 1929. Gelatin silver print.

Cross section of a pine needle, 1950s–70s.

Jewish schoolchildren, Mukacevo, ca. 1935–38. Gelatin silver print.

Vishniac’s daughter Mara posing in front of an election poster for Hindenburg and Hitler that reads “The Marshal and the Corporal: Fight with Us for Peace and Equal Rights,” Wilmersdorf, Berlin, 1933. Gelatin silver print.

Unidentified photographer, Roman Vishniac holding his Rolleiflex camera, ca. 1935–38. Gelatin silver print.