L. E. Berka, Glass Marbles, 1930, Signed Gelatin Silver Print

Ladislav Emil Berka

Glass Marbles, 1930

Hand-signed in pencil
Original later Gelatin Silver Print by the artist

258 x 392 mm

On the reverse:
Hand-signed "L. E. Berka" in pencil
Author's ink stamp "L. E. Berka"
Annotated "Muster" (Pattern) in pencil
Provenance ink stamp: "Sbírka Peter Dressler" (Peter Dressler Collection)

Institutional Copy:

Another print of this photograph is held in the permanent collection of the Moravian Gallery in Brno (Inventory Number: MGA 5047)
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THE ARTIST

Born in Prague in 1907, Berka was completely self-taught as a photographer. He studied at a reálka (a non-classical secondary school focused on sciences and modern languages), which likely fed his rational, technical worldview. His artistic life took a massive turn in the late 1920s when he was swept up by progressive European art movements.
Alongside his close peers Alexander Hackenschmied (later known as the filmmaker Alexander Hammid) and Jiří Lehovec, Berka became part of what historians call the "Aventinum Trio" (named after their exhibitions at the Aventinská mansarda). Together, they championed "New Photography" (Neue Sachlichkeit or New Objectivity) and progressive film criticism in Czechoslovakia.
In 1929, Berka traveled to Germany to attend the seminal "Film und Foto" (FiFo) exhibition in Stuttgart, an event that permanently reshaped his vision. He absorbed the structural philosophies of the Bauhaus and functionalism.
His work became known for intense macro close-ups, sweeping diagonal compositions, and clever advertising montages featuring objects like lightbulbs, typewriter keys, and rolled cinema film. His experimental apex was a striking series called Praha v surimpresi (Prague in Superimposition), featuring ghost-like double exposures and long-exposure night shots of moving city lights.
By 1933, Berka mostly stepped away from active photography. He became an editor for the weekly magazine Ahoj na neděli (Hello on Sunday). After World War II, he worked for the prominent magazine Květy (until 1967) and served as a graphic designer and picture editor for major publishing houses like Práce and Orbis.
He passed away in Prague in 1993, just as a massive wave of international appreciation for his early avant-garde work was taking off.
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EXHIBITIONS

Aventinská mansarda, Prague (1930, 1931): The debut showcases for the Aventinum Trio, introducing their functionalist, film-influenced photographic style to the public.

Exhibitions of Social Photography (1933, 1934): Pivotal interwar shows in Prague where avant-garde techniques met social realism.

Ladislav Emil Berka – Fotografie (1992): Held at the House of Arts (Dům umění města Brna) in Brno, curated by the renowned photo-historian Antonín Dufek. This served as a vital retrospective just before Berka’s death.

Galerie Faber Portfolio (Vienna, 1991): The influential Galerie Johannes Faber released a dedicated collector's portfolio of Berka's work, which helped skyrocket his recognition in Western Europe.
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RECOGNITION and MARKET

The market for Ladislav Emil Berka’s work is highly specialised. Original vintage prints remain exceptionally rare, but premier European platforms like OstLicht and Grisebach galleries frequently trade his work. His iconic 1930s functionalist motifs and later gelatin silver prints are consistently traded between €1,200 and €3,000 at these venues, driven by collectors of the Czech interwar avant-garde.

A prime benchmark is this exact photograph, (Glass Marbles, 1930), which sold as lot 7 in Vienna on November 19, 2021, for €800 plus buyer's premium, affirming his stable value among collectors.