Herbert List (1903-1975) was a German photographer who worked in a variety of genres including travel photography, war reportage, fashion photography, portraiture and Surrealism. 

List came from a wealthy family and was able to dedicate himself to photography. In 1936, he left Germany for Paris because of both creative reasons and the increasingly hostile political situation as the Nazis came to power.

Over the next 30 years List had a fascinatingly versatile and dynamic career. Particularly in the 1950's List was a sought-after portrait photographer and shot many of the European avant-garde or cultural elite of the era including Picasso, Colette, Miro, Chagall, Stravinsky, Cocteau, Alexander Calder, George Braque, Marlene Dietrich and the list goes on. 

This portrait is of American composer Sam Barber (1910-1981). Barber was one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century, creating original compositions of orchestral, opera, piano, and choral music. He twice won the Pulitzer Prize for music. Despite bouts with alcohol and depression, Barber continued to write music into his seventies. Herbert List loved photographing composers, and here we see Barber serenely at work on a composition. 

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Artist stamp verso

Gelatin silver print