Yva is known today as an influential fashion and avant-garde photographer. One of the most impressive things about Yva is her rapid rise to success. She graduated from the Lette School and had a short internship in a movie theatre in her early twenties. In 1925, she began working with Heinz Hajek-Halke. Their relationship ended when Heinz sued her over the rights to her self-portrait. He lost the case and she left his studio. Though things did not end well between her and Heinz, she was able to take away knowledge about experimenting with lights while photographing. This knowledge is demonstrated in photographs she completed on her own. In 1926, she established her own studio, Studio Yva, and by 1927 she had her first solo exhibition in Galerie Neumann-Nierendorf. Her brother, Ernst Neuländer, was a co-owner of Kuhen, a famous fashion salon in Berlin. Yva was able to establish herself in the Berlin fashion world with his help and connections.

“Women’s Legs”

By 1927, she had her big breakthrough. Ten of her photographs were published in Die Dame, a popular women’s fashion magazine. She then became a regular contributor to this magazine. Beginning in 1929, her photographic stories were shown in the magazine, Der Uhu. This was a popular general interest magazine that was known for its professionalism and originality. Her work in these magazines ranged from fashion photography to advertisements. Five of Yva’s photos were displayed in the Film und Foto exhibition in 1929. This exhibition in Stuttgart featured prominent modern filmmakers and photographers from around the world. The exhibition was also displayed in Berlin. She was also featured in the 1930 Munich exhibition, Das Lichtbild. Not only did she influence photography in Germany, but she also influenced those around the world. Her work appeared in exhibitions such as London’s The Modern Spirit in Photography and Paris’ La beauté de la femme.

Film und Foto Exhibition

Her success grew as her work appeared in more magazines. Through the late 1920s and 1930s Yva’s work was published in Blatt der Hausfrau, Elegante Welt, Konfektionär, and Neue Linie. These were the important fashion magazines of the time. Her works often juxtaposed the more practical nature of fashion, and its seductive appeal. During the time of the Weimar Republic, advertising focused on a fetishized image of women. However, Yva’s works shifted away from this notion. Yva also achieved recognition in photography magazines such as Gebrauchsgraphik, Gebrauchsphotographie, Photographik, Das deutsche Lichtbild Jahrbuch, and Der deutsche Kamera-Almanach. Yva was even reviewed by Hans Böhm in Der Photofreund. She published 150 photographs in the Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung. Yva was well known by the readers of the intellectual magazine Der Querschnitt. Due to her heavy presence in various magazines, Yva was a recognized by Berliners. She heavily contributed to the rise of modernism. Her influence in magazines made modernism much more apparent to the public.

Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung

Unfortunately, the rise of the Nazi regime prevented her career from continuing. Using her artist name could only protect her for so long. The Nazis discovered that the woman behind Yva, Else Neuländer-Simon, was Jewish. Yva and her husband crated up much of her works and what they owned. After they were deported, many of the works and items were destroyed or lost. Despite this, she still had a major achievement that allowed her legacy to continue. It was her intern, Helmut Newton, who became a valuable assistant to her from 1936-1938. He was also born into a Jewish family in Berlin. Unlike Yva, Helmut was able to leave Germany before being sent to a concentration camp. Helmut went on to become a famous fashion photographer for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Playboy. Helmut has paid tribute to Yva’s influence on him through various interviews and articles. However, his photographs are highly sexual, whereas hers are not. Her photographs manage to be successful at attracting attention without overtly degrading her subjects. She accomplishes a striking balance between experimenting and advertising.

“Study of hands”

Yva’s first studio was located in Klingelhöferstraße 17 just south of the Tiergarten. In 2011, a small portion of the sidewalk near the Tiergarten was named “Yva-Bogen” after her. She moved into a larger studio in 1930. It was located on Bleibtreustraße a block away from the Savingyplatz S-bahn station today. Her last studio and home is located in Schlüterstraße 45 in Charlottenburg, Berlin. She lived and worked on the fourth and fifth floors. Many of her photographs were taken on the staircase between the floors. This last studio and home was converted into the Hotel Bogota. A small exhibition of her work was there on the fourth floor of the hotel, which has recently closed. A plaque outside of the building commemorates her life and death. Some of Yva’s photographs are still in the Museum of Modern Art in the Berlin Gallery. The Jewish Historical Museum also houses several of her photographs today. Although her career was short, Yva’s influence on photography can still be felt today.

Plaque from Jewish Historical Museum

http://www.academia.edu/4342769/Fashion_Photography_and_Womens_Modernity_in_Weimar_Germany_The_Case_of_Yva