Fred Stein's Extraordinary Life Captured in a Groundbreaking New Biography

A new biography by Daniel Siemens explores the life of Fred Stein, a photographer who captured key figures of the 20th century. Stein began in politics with the SPD before switching to the Socialist Workers’ Party. His journey took him from Germany to Paris and finally to New York, where he became renowned for his street and portrait photography. Fred Stein and his wife fled Nazi Germany in 1933, settling in Paris. There, they opened 'Studio Stein' in their apartment. The couple’s home became a gathering place for notable figures, including Gerda Taro and Robert Capa, then known by their birth names, Gerta Pohorylle and André Friedmann.

During his exile, Stein met Willy Brandt, who later described him as 'remarkably avant-garde' and a 'true visionary'. His photography focused on the cultural and political movements of the era, with subjects ranging from Brandt to Bertolt Brecht, Albert Einstein, and Hannah Arendt.

In 1941, Stein and his family moved to the United States, settling in New York. By 1947, he published Fifth Avenue, a photo book showcasing his street photography in the city. Decades later, his portraits of Einstein and Arendt were honoured on German postage stamps in 2005 and 2006. Fred Stein’s work left a lasting mark on photography and history. His images of influential 20th-century figures remain widely recognised. The new biography by Daniel Siemens now offers a full account of his extraordinary life and career.