Weimar’s Irreverent Lens
Robert Mann Gallery presents “ringl + pit”, an exhibition rediscovering the rarely seen work of a groundbreaking creative duo from Germany’s Weimar Republic: Grete Stern and Ellen Auerbach.
By Gaia Squarci. Photographs by Grete Stern and Ellen Auerbach.
At a time when commercial imagery was dominated by bright colors and cheerful smiles, Stern and Auerbach began turning the conventions of advertising inside out. Through portraits, self-portraits, and still lives, they subverted gender roles and questioned the emerging culture of consumerism.
Working collaboratively and alternating roles behind the camera, the two artists—both trained under Walter Peterhans, the pioneering photography instructor at the Bauhaus—quickly gained a reputation for their witty, bold, and formally innovative approach to image-making.
The exhibition features a rare selection of their studio photographs alongside a limited-edition portfolio of their life’s work—much of which has been rarely shown to the public.
The name “ringl + pit” came from the artists’ childhood nicknames. As progressive Jewish women, both were forced to flee Germany in the early 1930s with the rise of Nazism, Auerbach settling in New York, Stern in Buenos Aires. Despite the distance, they remained lifelong friends.
The exhibition “ringl + pit” is on view at the Robert Mann Gallery in New York City through December 6, 2025.
