Discovering Lisel Haas 

Lisel Haas (1898 - 1989) was a German-Jewish photographer whose professional career spanned over 6 decades. She worked in close collaboration with her partner, Grete Bermbach (1899 - 1979). 

Having run a successful photography business together in their home town of Mönchengladbach, Lisel and Grete fled Nazi persecution and arrived in Birmingham shortly before the war. Despite initial hostility and difficulties, they were eventually able to set up their photography studio again and rebuild their strong career. 

The Library of Birmingham is home to the Lisel Haas archive, a collection of nearly 260 boxes of material that have remained uncatalogued and largely untouched, until now. 

This exhibition draws out highlights from the archive in order to tell Lisel and Grete’s story. Contemporary artists have also been invited to respond to the archive and to Lisel and Grete’s story; their responses are on display throughout the exhibition. 

The exhibition includes selected material from the Haas archive alongside newly commissioned responses from five contemporary artists: Anu Gamanagari, Gibson Kochanek Studio, George Eksts, Laura Chen and Rebecca Orleans. Haas' story brings together Jewish refugee history, lesbian history, women's lives, exile, photography and Birmingham's cultural memory. The exhibition is also accompanied by an audio guide and a newly published book. 

Curator's Talks