Born in Hanover at the beginning of the century, Brill studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule and at Johannes Itten’s school in Berlin. Initially he worked in Herbert Bayer’s studio and eventually set up his studio with Hedwig Bornemann. After WWII his work featured in the Hessisches Landesmuseum. During the ‘50s Brill founded the Institut für Photoanalyse, where he experimented and mastered his own use of photographs: images individually shot and later combined together to create new artworks, those photos practically anticipated the concept of digital photomontage. He also worked on documentaries and industrial photography.