{"id":98690,"date":"2026-03-12T00:24:05","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T23:24:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/punkt.hu\/?p=98690"},"modified":"2026-03-12T01:04:47","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T00:04:47","slug":"my-fathers-photographs-are-not-only-part-of-the-history-of-photography-but-of-history-itself-an-interview-with-peter-stein-on-the-legacy-of-fred-stein","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/punkt.hu\/en\/2026\/03\/12\/my-fathers-photographs-are-not-only-part-of-the-history-of-photography-but-of-history-itself-an-interview-with-peter-stein-on-the-legacy-of-fred-stein\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cMy Father\u2019s Photographs Are Not Only Part of the History of Photography, but of History Itself\u201d \u2013 An Interview with Peter Stein on the Legacy of Fred Stein"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Peter Stein, ASC, has served as Director of Photography on more than fifty feature films, television movies, and documentaries, and was a professor in the Graduate Film Program at NYU Tisch School of the Arts for many years. He grew up immersed in photography, learning the craft directly from his father, Fred Stein, a noted street photographer and portraitist. Fred Stein\u2019s photographs are woven throughout the film, revealing images that are sophisticated, intimate, and deeply moving, alongside his penetrating portraits of some of the most influential figures of the mid-twentieth century, including Albert Einstein and Hannah Arendt. Fred Stein died young, and despite the power and importance of his work, his photographs never received the recognition they deserved during his lifetime. Daniel Siemens\u2019s book Der Fotograf Fred Stein \u2013 Ein deutsch-j\u00fcdisches Leben 1909\u20131967, published by Aufbau in March 2026, is the first comprehensive academic biography of Fred Stein and plays a crucial role in re-evaluating both his artistic legacy and his personal story.<\/strong>
\nIn response, Peter Stein set out on a personal and professional mission to bring his father\u2019s work to the attention of the art world\u2014only to discover that preserving and securing a photographic legacy is far from an easy task. In this interview, we talk with Peter Stein about his career in cinematography, his work as an educator, and the challenges and rewards of honoring his father\u2019s extraordinary legacy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Could you briefly outline your father\u2019s family background and early life, and how these shaped his personal and professional trajectory?<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tP.S.\t\t\t\t<\/strong>\n\t\t\t\t
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Fred was born in 1909. His father was a rabbi. His father died when Fred was six years old, and his mother became a religion teacher. Fred was always intellectually curious and did very well in school; in fact, he skipped two grades in the gymnasium. His mother felt that it was important for him to appreciate art, so she bought him a subscription granting access to the many museums in Dresden. He frequented the museums, thereby developing a keen appreciation for art and aesthetics. At the same time, he had a very deep awareness of the inequities in the social system and became a Socialist in his teens, joining young socialist political groups. He decided to become a lawyer to help the underprivileged.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Fot\u00f3: Fred Stein: Steps, Versailles, 1934 \n\u00a9 Fred Stein Archive<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>

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How did your father first come to photography, and what circumstances or influences were decisive in his choice of this medium?<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Fred and his wife Lilo had to leave Dresden because of his political activities, and when they came to Paris, they were unable to find work to support themselves. Refugees were not able to obtain work permits, as that would take employment away from French citizens. However, if one worked as a freelancer\u2014a writer, journalist, artist, or even a photographer\u2014one was able to earn a living without needing a work permit. Photography had been a hobby of his in Germany; in fact, Fred and Lilo bought each other a used Leica camera (the first model) as wedding presents. Needing a new profession in France, they decided he could become a photographer, since they already had the camera. Some of his political friends were photographers, and they helped teach him what was needed to be successful. Since he was already very interested in art, this seemed like a perfect choice of profession.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Fot\u00f3: Fred Stein: entral Park Snow, New York, 1945\n\u00a9 Fred Stein Archive<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Fot\u00f3: Fred Stein: Little Italy, New York, 1943\n\u00a9 Fred Stein Archive<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Fot\u00f3: Fred Stein: Albert Einstein, Princeton, 1946 \u00a9 Fred Stein Archive<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Fot\u00f3: Fred Stein: Andr\u00e9 Kert\u00e9sz, New York, 1966\n\u00a9 Fred Stein Archive<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Your father\u2019s work is often discussed in terms of two major periods\u2014Paris and New York. How would you characterize the differences between his photographic approach, subjects, or sensibility in these two phases?<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Fred\u2019s Paris pictures seem to me to be more romantic. He was quite young when he arrived in Paris\u2014in 1933 he was only 24 years old\u2014and he was taken with the bohemian and freer culture he experienced there, compared to Germany. Walking the streets and observing the differences in culture must have been very fascinating for him. When he got to New York, he was eight years older and deeply relieved to have escaped the war zone. New York was the seat of capitalism and, I think, a much more serious environment for him. His pictures became slightly more rigid and formal, yet the many different cultures prevalent in New York City were extremely fascinating to him. However, in both cities, his human side shines through in all his photographs, as he was warm, understanding, and sympathetic toward everyone\u2014whether wealthy or poor, unknown or famous.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

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In your documentary and public work, you speak about the decades-long effort to secure your father\u2019s place within the history of photography. Could you reflect on that process and on your personal experience of advocating for his recognition?<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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I am a cinematographer, and I owe my career to learning from my father. When I was a child, we often went out together and took pictures, and afterward compared and discussed them. I certainly owe my career to my father, and in part this is how I can pay him back. I have always recognized that his work is not only important to the history of photography, but also to history in general, as he photographed more than 1,200 of the most important people of the mid-twentieth century.<\/p>\n

While I was working in the film business, I was still trying to secure exhibitions and other recognition for my father\u2019s work. I was successful to a certain extent in obtaining small exhibitions at local art centers and galleries, but I was mainly focused on my own career. I wrote many articles about Fred and his work, and these were published in nearly all of the major photography magazines in the United States, including an article in\u00a0American Way<\/em>, the magazine of American Airlines. One of the great thrills of my life was being on an American Airlines flight, on my way to shoot a movie, and seeing that article in the onboard magazine. Although we had many exhibitions in small galleries, I knew that major museum shows were essential to securing Fred Stein\u2019s legacy. I also understood that a film would be instrumental in helping achieve this. I became a professor at New York University, teaching cinematography for many years after I stopped shooting films. When I decided to retire from teaching, I finally had the time to make a film about Fred and to devote all my energies to securing museum exhibitions at major institutions. It has been extremely satisfying to see the success of these exhibitions and gallery shows, as his work is now gaining international recognition.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Fot\u00f3: Fred Stein: Three Chairs, 1936\n\u00a9 Fred Stein Archive<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Fot\u00f3: Fred Stein: Brooklyn Boys, New York, 1946\n\u00a9 Fred Stein Archive<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Fot\u00f3: Fred Stein: Embrace, Paris 1934\n\u00a9 Fred Stein Archive<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Fot\u00f3: Fred Stein: House Painters, Paris, 1937\n\u00a9 Fred Stein Archive<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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You and your wife produced a documentary about your father\u2019s life and work. Could you discuss the making of this film\u2014including its challenges and rewards\u2014and how the process shaped your understanding of his legacy?<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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My wife, Dawn Freer\u2014who was the co-director, writer, and editor of the film\u2014was responsible for the overall shape and thrust of the movie. She wrote the script and determined what was important to include, as well as how the music and visuals were to be used. She drew on Fred\u2019s correspondence and Lilo\u2019s words from an interview I had recorded to construct the narrative. I produced the film, raised the money, photographed the live footage, and conducted many of the interviews myself. I also carried out the research, locating musical pieces and stock footage, from which Dawn then made the final selections. Throughout the making of the film, I realized\u2014particularly through interviews with figures such as the photography scholar Gilles Mora\u2014what my father\u2019s reference points were in his photographic artistry. It was also revealing to see how, amid the politics of the time, his human side consistently emerged through his art. Raising money for a film was not something I had done before, and I became quite adept at making thoughtful appeals to foundations and institutions that ultimately supported the project financially.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

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