Paul Senn

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Paul Senn (born August 14, 1901 in Rothrist , Canton Aargau , † April 25, 1953 in Bern ) was a Swiss photographer .

Life

After attending primary and secondary school in the city of Bern, Senn learned the profession of advertising draftsman and retoucher in around 1917. After completing his training, he worked in various European cities and from 1922 as a graphic designer in Lyon . In 1924 he became a picture editor for the Basler Nachrichten , where his first photos appeared. In 1927 and 1928 he stayed in Milan, Genoa, Germany, Belgium, France and Barcelona. After these trips he opened his own graphic and advertising studio in Bern. In the 1930s Senn worked as a photo reporter for the Zürcher and Berner Illustrierte and toured France, Italy, Spain and the Balkans. In 1937 Senn accompanied an aid convoy to the war zone of the Spanish Civil War and reported on it in a special issue of the Zürcher Illustrierte. In 1939 he traveled to the USA.

During the Second World War , Senn did active service as an army photographer in the Army and House section . After Zürcher Illustrierte had to discontinue its publication in 1941, Senn worked for Schweizer Illustrierte and for Sie + Er . From 1942 to 1944 he traveled several times to the south of France and reported on the activities of the Swiss aid organization and the construction work in Lyon. After the end of the war in 1945, Paul Senn traveled to the European war zones on behalf of the Swiss Red Cross and the Swiss donation and took photos in Germany and France. In 1946 he was in the USA for Schweizer Illustrierte and visited New York and the Swiss colonies . In 1947 he went to Finland and Germany at the invitation of the Swiss donation and documented the reconstruction. In 1950 he traveled to Germany, France, Italy and England. In 1951 he founded the College of Swiss Photographers with Werner Bischof , Walter Läubli , Gotthard Schuh and Jakob Tuggener . In 1952 he became a member of the Werkbund .

On April 25, 1953, he died in the Ziegler Hospital in Bern of kidney / liver cancer .

plant

Paul Senn is considered to be the representative of a new visual language that thematized people's everyday lives. He photographed for over 15 Swiss ( “du” etc. ) and foreign illustrated magazines. His reports on the world of Swiss farmers and workers as well as his photo reports on Europe, North and South America are well known. His archive is in the Kunstmuseum Bern.

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personal data
SURNAME Senn, Paul
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss photographer
DATE OF BIRTH August 14, 1901
PLACE OF BIRTH Rothrist
DATE OF DEATH April 25, 1953
Place of death Bern