Max Auzinger

Max Auzinger
Born	Max Auxinger July 26, 1839 München, Bavaria
Died	May 11, 1928 (age 88) Berlin-Lichterfelde, Germany

Max Auzinger (b.1839-d.1928) was a German actor and magician, who performed as the Oriental character "Ben Ali Bey". He also billed himself briefly as "Maxitan A-Uzin-Ger".

Biography

Auzinger is credited with the discovery of Black art. Around 1875, he discovered the principle by accident while watching a black-faced actor playing a scene set in a dark dungeon. Only the man's white teeth and eyes were visible when watching from the stage.

He used it in his shows:

• "Indian and Egyptian Miracles"
• "The Magnetized Drawing" where a skeleton drawn on a blackboard began to dance to music.
• "The Creation of Woman by the Gods of the Orient," in which a caterpillar drawn on a sheet of paper comes to life.
• "The Soap-Bubbles" where colored soap-bubbles of different sizes floated and formed themselves into a pyramid.

He acted in numerous black and white silent films from 1913 until 1920.

References

• Die Zauberwelt, Vol. 8, No. 7, Juli 1902, Ben-Ali-Bey, by Ed. W. Lufa, page 97
• Conjurers' Monthly Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 4, December 1907, The Inventor of Black Art Ben-Ali-Bey (Max Auzinger), by Ottokar Fischer, page 101
• M-U-M, Vol. 14, No. 5, November 1925, Ben Ali Bay (Max Auzinger), page 226
• M-U-M, Vol. 14, No. 6, December 1925, Ben Ali Bay (Max Auzinger), cont., page 230
• The Linking Ring, Vol. 8, No. 4, June 1928, The Creator of Black Art Magic Max Auzinger, Named Ben Ali-Bey Passes On, by Ottokar Fischer, page 313
• The Sphinx, Vol. 27, No. 4, June 1928, The Creator of Black Art Magic Max Auzinger, Named Ben Ali-Bey Passes On, by Ottokar Fischer, page 193
• The Annals of Conjuring, by Sydney W. Clarke (1929, reprint 2001), 12. Conjurors Yesterday and Today Germany – Max Auzinger, page 365
• Cover, The linking Ring, Vol. 10, No. 3, May 1930, MAX AUZINGER, by Dr. Henry Ridgely Evans, page 336
• The Linking Ring, Vol. 23, No. 5, July 1943, The Black Art Illusion, or Buatier deKolta Versus Ben-Ali-Bey, by Dr. Henry Ridgely Evans, page 20
• The Linking Ring, Vol. 23, No. 6, August 1943, The Black Art Illusion, or Buatier deKolta Versus Ben-Ali-Bey, by Dr. Henry Ridgely Evans (cont.), page 20
• The Linking Ring, Vol. 56, No. 1, January 1976, The Great Black Art Caper, by Peter Warlock, page 33
• The Linking Ring, Vol. 56, No. 2, February 1976, The Great Black Art Caper, by Peter Warlock (cont.), page 39
• The Glorious Deception : The Double Life of William Robinson, aka Chung Ling Soo, the "Marvelous Chinese Conjurer" by Jim Steinmeyer ISBN 978-0786715121
• The Wonders of Black Art
• IMDB
• Bio-bibliographisches Lexikon der Zauberkünstler Edition Volker Huber, April 2002, Auzinger, Max = Maxistan A. Uzinger; Ben Ali Bey, dt. Zauberkünstler; Regisseur (*26.07.1839 München; †14.05.1928 Berlin), page 27