Torso of a Male Nude by Herbert List

Herbert List was a German photographer renowned for his contributions to modern photography and contemporary fashion. Born in Hamburg, List began his career in the 1930s, working with prominent magazines such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Life, and Magnum Photos. He became known for his evocative black-and-white photographs, which often included homoerotic nudes, still lifes, portraits, and architectural ruins set across Europe. During World War II, List was forced to return to Germany, but due to his Jewish ancestry, he was banned from publishing or working professionally. 

In 1944, he was drafted into the German military and served as a map designer in Norway; a later trip to Paris allowed him to photograph influential figures such as Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Joan Miró, and other leading artists of the time, adding to his reputation as a skilled portrait photographer. List attended the Johanneum Gymnasium and later studied literature at the University of Heidelberg from 1921 to 1923. In recognition of his work, he was awarded the David Octavius Hill Prize by the Gesellschaft Deutscher Lichtbildner. His photographs have been displayed in major exhibitions, including those at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Münchner Stadtmuseum.