Memorial plaque for the pioneering duo ringl + pit unveiled in Berlin!

Memorial plaque for the pioneering duo ringl + pit unveiled in Berlin!

On September 22, 2025, the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion in Berlin unveiled a memorial plaque for the renowned photo studio ringl + pit. This plaque is located at Schönhauser Straße 18a, 12157 Berlin-Steglitz. The studio, founded by Grete Stern and Ellen Rosenberg (later Auerbach), existed from 1929 to 1933 and had a significant influence on the development of photography in Germany.

The name “ringl + pit” comes from the two photographers’ childhood names. Grete Stern, born in 1904, studied graphics and began photography training with Walter Peterhans in Berlin in 1927. Ellen Rosenberg, born in 1906, had previously stopped studying sculpture and was also taught by Peterhans. Both photographers left Germany in 1933 due to the Nazi regime, which abruptly ended their collaboration, but their friendship remained until the end of their lives.

Creativity and innovation

The studio became known for its first professional works and experimented with “new vision,” an avant-garde style of photography. Her work was characterized by a playful approach to advertising and portrait photography. While Stern emphasized graphic elements in her photographs, Auerbach added a witty and ironic perspective. This innovative approach helped to question the image of modern photography, which was predominantly dominated by male artists.

The studio's successes ranged from collaboration with well-known agencies such as Mauritius to the publication of their works in the commercial graphics magazine. In 1933 they won first prize at the Exposition Internationale de la Photographie et du Cinéma in Brussels. After their separation, Stern emigrated to London and later Argentina, while Auerbach lived in Palestine before moving to London and New York.

An important commemoration

The memorial plaque is part of the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion's funding program for historical city markings. This program is intended to commemorate important places in history. The panels themselves are handmade by the Royal Porcelain Manufactory Berlin. The organization of the unveiling and the text on the board were designed by the Aktives Museum Faschismus und Resistance in Berlin, while GASAG AG acted as the main sponsor and took over the financing.

In addition to the memorial plaque, the work of Stern and Auerbach will be honored in the exhibition “The Shared New Vision of ringl + pit,” which will be on view in a gallery from June 20 to December 7, 2025. Not only are the origins of the duo shown here, but also their artistic development after fleeing Germany.

In the broader context of photography, the exhibition “Flashes of Memory. Photography during the Holocaust” will be presented at the Berlin Museum of Photography from March 24, 2024. This exhibition addresses the visual documentation of the Holocaust through photographs and films taken by Jewish and non-Jewish photographers and members of the Allied armed forces. It sheds light on the circumstances surrounding photography during this time and provides insight into the role of photography as documentation and as a means of manipulation by the National Socialist regime.

Both exhibitions aim to celebrate the contribution of photographers to documenting history and commemoration and to shed light on the role of women in art history.