Werner Rosenberg

Werner Rosenberg (1913-1988) known as Véro, was a German-born French photographer.

Biography

Werner Rosenberg was a Jewish German. From the age of fifteen he became a passionate devotee of photography.

In 1933, he went to Paris. His parents who refused to accompany him. There he made his living from photography, producing portraits and industrial photographs, and contributing to Vu magazine (1928-1940), under the pseudonym 'Véro'. He was made a naturalized French citizen in 1939.

During WW2 and the German occupation of France he joined the Catholic resistance movement Compagnons de France (the 'Companions of France') and assumed the identity of 'Michel Thibault' to protect himself. Denounced in 1943, he was forced to hide in the countryside around Isère.

After the war, he returned to live with his family in Paris as a freelance photographer, providing illustrations and reports for the Catholic press.

In 1955 his softly backlit photograph of a woman and children dancing in a ring under a glade of saplings in late afternoon light was selected by Edward Steichen for the world-touring exhibition The Family of Man that he curated for the Museum of Modern Art, and that was seen by 9 million visitors.

Rosenberg's reluctance to publicise his work has meant that, despite a cosiderable output, since the 1960s he has been largely overlooked, despite the consistent quality of his street photography especially. It was not until 1999, when a monograph published by Editions Didier Richard 200 clichés pour un nouveau millénaire ('Two Hundred Photographs for a New Millennium') was posthumously released by Rosenberg's son Christophe, that the photographer 'Véro' once more came to attention. Journalist Eric Merlen wrote its introduction.

Publication

Rosenberg, W. A., & Merlen, E. (1999). 200 clichés pour un nouveau millénaire. Claix: Editions Didier Richard.