Albert Steiner

Albert Steiner was one of the outstanding Swiss photographers of the 20th century. His impressive scenic photographs have fundamentally shaped our perception of Switzerland as an alpine country of timeless beauty. Like Ansel Adams, he transfers his artistic vision of mountains, their flora and imposing natural phenomena onto a black-and-white surface and permits nature to reveal all its majesty. Steiner's photographic work spans the period from before World War I with its pictorially inspired images that look like oil paintings, to the straightforward and elegantly modern photography of the 1930s. Unlike other Swiss photographers of his generation, Steiner considered himself to be an artist. In contrast to many of his contemporaries, he saw photography as a completely appropriate means of creating works of art.