Ernst Haas was an Austrian-American photographer and one of the most influential pioneers of color photography. Known for his vibrant, painterly style, Haas brought an expressive and artistic approach to both color and black-and-white photography, redefining the medium.
Haas gained early recognition with his photo essay Homecoming Prisoners of War, published in Life magazine in 1949. He joined Magnum Photos in 1950, where his dynamic reportage and groundbreaking use of Kodachrome film for color imagery set him apart. His 1953 color photo essay on New York City for Life was one of the first major showcases of artistic color photography in a widely circulated publication.
Haas's photobooks, including The Creation (1971) and In America (1975), highlight his mastery of abstraction, motion, and light. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Widely regarded as a bridge between documentary and fine art photography, Haas left a lasting legacy, inspiring generations of photographers with his innovative vision and poetic imagery.