The installation presents the work of Grete Stern and Ellen Auerbach, the founders of the Berlin-based experimental design and photography studio ringl + pit. Established in 1930, the studio took its name from their childhood nicknames, ringl (Stern) and pit (Auerbach), to brand its playful approach to advertising and portraiture. The photographs on display showcase the duo’s avant-garde origins, as well as each woman’s later artistic development.
The photographs of ringl + pit were produced, in their words, “completely together,” with Stern focusing on the graphic elements and Auerbach supplying a witty and ironic perspective. They cleverly used wigs, mannequins, and other tokens of femininity to question the facade of traditional womanhood. Their relationship as creative partners helps reframe the history of modern photography, which is often told through the lens of individual male artists.
In 1933 the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party forced these two progressive Jewish artists to flee Germany. Auerbach eventually settled in New York and Stern in Argentina. Their early interest in photography’s innovative and collaborative capacities echoed throughout each artist’s lifelong creative practice.
Read more about the installation in the fall 2025 magazine (PDF).
The Shared New Vision of ringl + pit is on view on the Gallery’s fourth floor from June 20 through December 7, 2025.