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Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg Germany social| Published | March 31, 2011 at 06:46pm | | Seen | 1618 times |
Series of PortraitsA Century of Photographs Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Photography, Hamburg, Germany
Friday April 1, 2011 - Sunday June 26, 2011 - Event ended. The exhibition comprises 400 exhibits and reflects on important artistic positions in photographic portraiture. During the eventful 20th century portrait photography continually redefines itself, between dissolution of the traditional concept of the subject in the masses and the pursuit of individuality and identity – culturally, socially and in terms of gender. Portraiture is one of the traditional genres in art and was one of the driving forces behind the invention of photography in the 19th century.The image of the human being is subject to constant change, which is also reflected in photography. In postmodern society mass media create ever-changing ideals according to various requirements in tune with a quick succession of trends. Art photography responds to the changes and reflects the development sometimes with spectacular results while it questions the medium of photography itself. The exhibition presents 35 carefully chosen international artists, who through history have opened up a dialogue among themselves; they are referencing each other’s work, and are received and interpreted in ever-new contexts. On show are works by Diane Arbus, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Lee Friedlander, Nan Goldin, Roni Horn, Jürgen Klauke, Annie Leibovitz, Helmar Lerski, Irving Penn, Judith Joy Ross, Thomas Ruff, August Sander, Cindy Sherman, Andy Warhol and others. An exhibition in cooperation with the Sammlung Niedersächsische Sparkassenstiftung on the occasion of the 5th Photography Triennial in Hamburg.
“The PORTRAIT-PHOTOGRAPH is a closed field of forces. Four image-repertoires intersect here, oppose and distort each other. In front of the lens, I am at the same time: the one I think I am, the one I want others to think I am, the one the photographer thinks I am, and the one he makes use of to exhibit his art. ” (Roland Barthes, Camera Lucida, London, 1984, p. 13) The photographic portrait does indeed combine contrary interests. The relationship between photographer and sitter is crucial. The third factor is the viewer, who is already being considered during the process of photographing. In the knowledge of the particular psychological situation resulting from the presence of a camera, Richard Avedon laconically stated: “A photographic portrait is a picture of someone who knows he is being photographed.” The sitters’ reactions to the camera differ, depending on how experienced they are. Fact is: It is not possible to not communicate, as Paul Watzlawick’s research on communication shows. People demean themselves, even if they withdraw or turn away.
The confrontation climaxes in the principle of frontality, which remains valid today although it is constantly being tried and questioned. The project “Serial Portraits“ invites the visitor on a journey through time starting from the beginnings with Hermann Biow's (1804-1850) daguerreotypes, David Octavius Hill’s (1802-1870) and Robert Adamson’s (1821-1848) talbotypes up to the digital present with Michael Najjar’s (*1966) cyborgs, and wondering whether classical portraiture has come to its end.
The exhibition is a project realised by the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg, its comprehensive collection has been extended with loans from the following institutions: Niedersächsische Sparkassenstiftung, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Sammlung F. C. Gundlach/Haus der Photographie, Deichtorhallen Hamburg, Museum Folkwang Essen and Galerie Hauser & Wirth, Zurich.
Participating artists
Diane Arbus, Hermann Biow, Kyungwoo Chun, Rineke Dijkstra, Rudolph Dührkoop, Tsuneo Enari, Patrick Faigenbaum, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Lee Friedlander, Bernhard Fuchs, Nan Goldin, Johann and Heinrich Hamann, Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson, Theodor and Oscar Hofmeister, Roni Horn, Peter Keetman, Jürgen Klauke, Annie Leibovitz, Helmar Lerski, Ulrich Mack, Stefan Moses, Michael Najjar, Nicholas Nixon, Irving Penn, Heinrich Riebesehl, Judith Joy Ross, Thomas Ruff, August Sander, Walter Schels, Michael Schmidt, Cindy Sherman, Andy Warhol
Publication
„Series of Portraits. A century of photographs” (English) and „Portraits in Serie. Fotografien eines Jahrhunderts“ (German) with contributions by Gabriele Betancourt Nuñez, Fides Breuer, Klaas Dierks, Harald Dubau, Anna Feldhaus, Aya Fujita, Sophia Greiff, Susen Krüger Saß, Susanne Lorig, Sherin Najjar, Ulrich Rüter, Sabine Schnakenberg, Ulrike Schneider and Daniela Wagner. Kerber Verlag, 2011, ca. 240 pages, ca.
250 plates, ca. 39 – 49 Euro
Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe
Steintorplatz
D-20099 Hamburg
Germany
Opening times: Tuesdays to Sundays 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Thursdays 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Entrance fees: 8 € / 5 €, Thursdays from 5 p.m., children and youths under 18 years old: free
Image
Helmar Lerski (1871 − 1956); Bettler aus Sachsen, vor 1931. Silbergelatine, aus der Serie Köpfe des Alltags; Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg.
© Nachlass Helmar Lerski, Museum Folkwang, EssenMore information http://www.mkg-hamburg.de
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