The LUMAS team

The initiators of LUMAS are themselves enthusiastic art collectors. Stefanie Harig and Marc Ullrich have been involved in the business world for 15 years and, with LUMAS, made their passion their career. With a team of 150 art and photography enthusiasts by now, LUMAS has grown to become the supreme specialist for high-quality editions in the last years.

Stefanie Harig

From 1989 to 1995 Stefanie Harig studied art history and communications with a focus on public relations in Saarbrücken and Berlin. In 1995, she was self-employed with the agency Die Brücke Public Relations GmbH. Her clients included several federal ministries, Mercedes-Benz, McKinsey & Company, and Deutsche Bahn. In 1999, she sold her shares in the agency to SMYLE GmbH and worked as an interior designer and art consultant in Berlin and New York. In 2003 she co-founded LUMAS, the leading publisher of affordable art editions. Today LUMAS operates 16 wholly owned galleries in 6 countries. In 2008 LUMAS launched WhiteWall, an online platform primarily oriented to non-professional and semi-professional photographers.

Marc Alexander Ullrich

In 1986, at the age of 18, Marc Ullrich founded Rainbow Arts, a developer of entertainment software and two years later he acquired shares in Softgold (entertainment software distribution). Rainbow Arts quickly became the leader in its field in Germany. He sold both companies to institutional investors in 1991. From 1992 to 1994 Marc Ullrich held an executive position at ESCOM AG (second largest PC retailer in Europe at the time), where he was responsible for product management, purchasing, and strategic business development. From 1994 to 1997 he was active as a strategy consultant in Germany, UK, and the US for IT-clients including 1&1/United Internet, IBM, and Compaq. In 1997 he founded Germany’s leading web-hosting provider STRATO. Since 2000 he has again been active as a strategy consultant for 1&1/United Internet, heading their UK relaunch und US launch. In 2003 he co-founded LUMAS, the leading publisher of affordable art editions.

Alexander Nieswandt

Alexander Nieswandt completed a traditional photographer's apprenticeship in 1990 at Bayer AG in Leverkusen, Germany. He was a freelance photographer for some years following before becoming assistant to the executive board of the Cologne-based photo-media service provider Sander in 1992. In 1994 he became the long-established company's managerial partner, responsible for clients throughout Europe. The company expanded to include German branches in Cologne, Dusseldorf, and Frankfurt. Nieswandt founded Icony Media GmbH in 2007, which has been a subsidiary of Avenso AG since 2009. As a member of Avenso AG's board he oversees production, IT, and customer service and is a shareholder in the company.