Umbo
(Otto Umbehr) German, 1902-1980
Born Otto Umbehr in Düsseldorf, Umbo was a pioneering photojournalist also
known for his compelling portraiture. Following studies in painting and
design at the Bauhaus (1921-23), Umbo moved to Berlin where he undertook
various jobs, including camera assistant to Walter Ruttmann on the
documentary film Berlin, Die Sinfonie einer Grosstadt (Berlin, Symphony of
a Great City, completed 1927). In 1926 he began a career as a professional
photographer, opening a portrait studio with the assistance of Paul
Citroën, a former Bauhaus colleague. He soon became known for his striking
portraits produced using extreme closeups and dramatic lighting.
In 1928 Umbo joined Simon Guttmann's recently established Dephot (Deutsche
Photodienst), the first cooperative photojournalist agency, managing the
studio and contributing photographs until the agency was dissolved in
1933. During this time his work appeared in magazines such as the Berliner
Illustrierte Zeitung, the Münchner Illustrierte Presse, Die Dame, and Die
Koralle. He also experimented with multiple exposure, unusual camera
angles, photomontage, collage, and x-ray film, and in 1929 took part in
Film und Foto, the important international exhibition of avant-garde
photography and film held in Stuttgart.
Throughout the 1930s and early 1940s, Umbo worked as a freelance
photojournalist, traveling to North Africa and Italy on assignment. During
World War II he served in the German army (1943-45), losing all his prints
and negatives when his studio was destroyed. After the war Umbo moved to
Hanover, where he continued freelance work. From 1957 until the early
1970s he also taught photography in Bad Pyrmont, Hildesheim, and Hanover.
M.M.
