# Josef Breitenbach artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/josef-breitenbach/
Profile generated: 2026-05-27T21:41:08.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1896-04-03
- Death date: 1984-10-07
- Nationality: German, American
- Movements: Surrealism
- Common media: Photography (gelatin silver prints, manipulated prints, photomontage)

## About Josef Breitenbach

Josef Breitenbach (1896–1984) was a German-born American photographer whose experimental techniques placed him within the Surrealist orbit. He began his career in Munich around 1930 after initially working in the family wine business, and quickly developed a distinctive approach that combined stark camera images with darkroom manipulation and photomontage. Fleeing Germany in 1933, he settled in Paris, where he deepened his engagement with avant-garde circles. After internment and emigration, he established a studio in New York in 1941 and became an American citizen in 1946. Breitenbach taught photography at institutions including the New School for Social Research and completed editorial assignments for the United Nations in Korea and Japan. His work is represented in the Museum of Modern Art collection and documented in Getty ULAN and RKD records.

## Common works and media

Collectors most frequently encounter Breitenbach through gelatin silver prints, including Surrealist-influenced photomontages and experimental portraits from his Paris period, as well as later editorial and documentary work produced in New York. Figure studies and nudes also appear in the literature. Works may be found as vintage prints, later exhibition prints, or reproductions in monographs and catalogues.

## Market and appraisal context

Breitenbach's photographs appear at auction primarily in dedicated photography sales. Key valuation factors include whether a print is a period example from his Munich or Paris years, the specific process used (straight gelatin silver print versus manipulated or montaged work), and institutional provenance. His MoMA representation and inclusion in major photographic reference works support collector confidence. However, the auction record is not densely populated, so comparable lots from Surrealist photography sales should be reviewed carefully before appraisal.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine verified artist identity research with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Josef Breitenbach, identity data is drawn from Getty ULAN, RKD, VIAF, and Wikidata authority files, with biographical detail from the RKD artist database and MoMA collection records.

## Sources

- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/236649
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1704370
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Breitenbach
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500037093
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/51902771/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n90654138
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/762