Marta Astfalck-Vietz
Marta Astfalck-Vietz (née Vietz; 21 July 1901 – 14 February 1994) was a German photographer, social worker and painter associated with the Bauhaus movement. She is remembered for her pioneering series of self-portraits from around 1930. Her works were rediscovered in 1991.
Also recorded as Marta Vietz · Marta Astfalck
Marta Astfalck-Vietz
- Name
- Marta Astfalck-Vietz
- Born
- 21 July 1901
- Birthplace
- Dębno, Germany
- Died
- 14 February 1994
- Place of death
- Nienhagen, Lower Saxony, Germany
- Awards
- Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, 1982
- Nationality
- Germany
- Occupation
- photographer
- Honours
- Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Languages
- German
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Marta Astfalck-Vietz (née Vietz; 21 July 1901 – 14 February 1994) was a German photographer, social worker and painter associated with the Bauhaus movement. She is remembered for her pioneering series of self-portraits from around 1930. Her works were rediscovered in 1991.
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wikidata · Q1274412 · wikipedia · Marta Astfalck-Vietz
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Marta Astfalck-Vietz • Other Names — Marta Vietz • Born — 21 July 1901 • Birthplace — Dębno, Germany • Died — 14 February 1994 • Place of death — Nienhagen, Lower Saxony, Germany • Awards — Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, 1982
Biography
Biography
Marta Vietz was born in Neudamm (Neumark), Germany (now: Dębno, Poland), the daughter of a printer and head of the publishing house Klassische Kunst. The family moved frequently during her schooling before settling in Berlin in 1912, where her father established a studio for fine art reproductions. In 1929 she married the architect Hellmuth Astfalck, and continued producing photographs for publication in illustrated magazines.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1901
Marta Astfalck-Vietz was born on 1 January 1901.
1994
Marta Astfalck-Vietz died on 14 February 1994.
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Dębno.
Birth place
Nienhagen.
Death place
Photography
Born in July 1901, Vietz began her artistic studies as a student at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Berlin. Vietz trained with the professional photographer Lutz Kloss between 1925 and 1926 and began working as an independent photographer, graphic, and advertising designer before setting up her own studio in 1927. Vietz's works, forgotten until the 1980s, have been compared to that of her contemporaries Gertrud Arndt and Claude Cahun. A large quantity of her archives were destroyed in 1943 during the bombing of Berlin in WWII. The remaining photographs, many of which are damaged, are held in the collection of the Berlinische Galerie – Landesmuseum für Moderne Kunst. In 1991, Janos Frecot, director of the photographic collection at the Berlinische Galerie, organized a show and exhibition catalogue of Astfalck-Vietz' works. Her work has been shown at the Harn Museum of Art, the Ludwig Museum, Cologne, the Albertina Museum, Vienna, the Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, among other venues. In 1982, she was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande (Cross of Merit on ribbon).
Collections
Collections
Several of her photographs are housed in the permanent collection of the Berlinische Galerie.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Marta Astfalck-Vietz”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1274412: Marta Astfalck-Vietz
General reference · Wikidata
References
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reference work
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General reference
Further particulars
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Further particulars
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Marta Astfalck-Vietz received Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. Recorded as having received Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Recognition and collections
Work by Marta Astfalck-Vietz is
Berlinische Galerie
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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