a dwig Cole isFront of dust jacket: Fritz Henle, Nievs, 1943, Gruber Collection Spine of dust jacket: Charlotte March, Donyale Luna with Earrings for “wen”, 1966, Gruber Collection Back of dust jacket: Man Ray, Lis on Lips 1930, Gruber Collection Concept: Reinhold Migelbeck Authors of texts about photographers: Marianne Bieger-Thielemann (MET), Gérard A. Goodrow (GG), Lilian Haberer (LH), Reinhold Mielbeck (RM), Ute Préllochs (UP), Anke Solbrig (AS), Thomas von Taschitzki (THT), Nina Zschocke (NZ] Reproduction of the images: Rheinisches Bildarchiv, Cologne © 2001 TASCHEN GmbH Hohenzollernring 53, D-50672 Kiln www.taschen.com © on the images rest with VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, the photographers, their agencies and estates Editing and layout: Simone Philippi, Cologne Design: Mark Thomson, London English translation: Rolf Fricke, Phyllis Riefler-Bonham Consultants: Andrew H. Eskind (George Eastman House), Oscar Fricke (Russian Photohistory) Printed in ttaly ISBN 3-8228-5867-6 2oth Century Photography Museum Ludwig Cologne TASCHEN4| Introduction The Art of Photography Marc Scheps Photography, a 19th-century scientific invention, has — like many other technical innovations of that era — dramatically altered mankind's per- ception and experience of the world, an effect that continues to this day. The reproduction of a time-constrained reality by the immaterial me- dium of light, the “freezing” of a visually observable scene, seemed like a miracle, especially in its beginnings. It was, so to speak, the fulfill- ment of an ancient desire of mankind to create an imaginary world that would be as believable as the real world itself. This mirror image of the real world, chemically recorded on paper, was created in a miracle box, and the resulting pictures, memories of a past time-space situation, formed a visual archive. For the first time, one could record the past not just with written words or painted pictures. Now it could live on in the form of exact images. One could believe in this past as if one had experi- enced it personally. The photographic image evolved into a collective memory. At first, the capability of creative interpretation inherent in painted pictures was challenged by the objective realism of the photographic image. Photography appeared to be unaffected by reality. Photographers celebrated the banality of daily life. They had the urge to create an over- all record of our world, to assemble an endless collection of pictures into a kind of mega-memory. The painted picture, the result of a long creative and additive pro- cess, could suddenly be replaced by a fast optical, mechanical and chemical process. The photographic image did not initially constitute a direct threat to painting. Its format was restricted by what the lens could cover, the images were black-and-white, and it was dependent on illu- mination. But even those who recognized the danger that photography posed to painting were fascinated by this new medium and the huge po- tential that it represented. The invention of photography was, after all, the birth of a new language and as such it should, above all, make poss- ible a new kind of visual communication. This language is not local- ized, and the flood of photographic images knows no borders. Multiple reproduction and dissemination of these pictures created a virtual real- ity that has become part of our modern culture. From this “lingua universalis” evolved an art language. Contingent on and limited by its historical context, this language evolved within the framework of the creative arts of the late 19th century. Photographers conformed to the aesthetics of their time and regarded photography merely as an additional means for visually perceiving and recreating reality. They experimented with this third eye with the intention of thereby enhancing the art of painting. At the beginning of this century, the awareness grew that the photo- graphic image had achieved autonomy and that it had developed an aesthetic of its own. This autonomy led to a new fertile relationship with painting. Photographers and painters discovered the nearly unlimited possibilities of producing art with this medium, and continued techno- logical advances in this field provided unexpected new ways of doing so. Even so, the history of photography as art evolved independently and parallel to the history of painting. Fear of contact between the two was great, disputes sometimes harsh, a reconciliation seemed hopeless. Fortunately, a dialog did eventually evolve, and this is undoubtedly ‘one of the most exciting chapters in the visual culture of our century. It was not just a matter of recognizing photography as an art, but definit- ively eliminating the borders between photography and the creative arts. In time, photography succeeded in gaining public acceptance. Major artists made a name for themselves with their small black-and-white pictures. Diverse styles expanded the scope. In the end, photography became a significant component of our culture. Modern art meanwhile had questioned its own means, and artists sought new ideas and new means of expression, eager to experiment. Naturally, this also involved photography. Artists like the Russian avant-gardists Alexander Rod- chenko and El Lissitzky, the American dadaist and surrealist Man Ray or the Hungarian constructivist L4szl6 Moholy-Nagy have all created an important body of work, thus becoming pioneers of a development that to this day remains uncompleted. But these artists were to remain ex- ceptions, and the general ranking of photography before the First World War was relatively low. It was not accorded the decisive recognition as “high art”. Even the establishment of a Department of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (which opened in 1929) was to remain an exception, and there were hardly any significant collectors of photographs. Introduction | 56 | Introduction The breakthrough finally occurred in the late fifties and early sixties. The urban world, the media and advertising intrigued artists such as Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg, and photography became an in- tegral part of their creative activities, an expansion of their art. Other artists explored the specificity of the photographic image, like Gerhard Richter, for instance, who regarded photography both as a filter of reality and as an independent pictorial reality. Photographers now felt more and more attracted by the world of ad- vertising, fashion and the mundane, Horst P. Horst and Richard Avedon being two examples. This resulted in a progressive elimination of media- driven compartmentalization. At last photography achieved museum- worthy status. In addition to the traditional art categories of painting, sculpture, drawing and graphic design, now there was the additional category of photography. The photography collection at the Museum Ludwig evolved from an art collection. When the photography collection became a separate en- tity, this dialog was continued judiciously, with an open-minded attitude towards any new trends. Even though it was only created mostly after the museum was founded in 1976, today the collection nevertheless contains about 9300 photographs. The present book of excerpts pre- sents 860 works and profiles 278 photographers. This is the first time that a selection drawn from the entire photography collection of the Mu- seum Ludwig is being published for a broad public. Earlier publications were scientific evaluations of sections of the museum's photography holdings. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the museum, it was decided to publish two volumes with the same format, one cover- ing painting and sculpture, and the present one covering 20th century photography. The decisive moment for the establishment of the Depart- ment of Photography at the Museum Ludwig was the acquisition in 1977 of the famous L. Fritz Gruber collection. L. Fritz Gruber, a longtime mentor, patron and friend of the museum, has been fostering photo- graphy throughout his life. To this day, he is known and respected inter- nationally for his knowledge and love of photography. His worldwide contacts opened many doors, and his collection grew steadily. Parts of his collection were gradually donated to the museum, most recently in 1993 and 1994. The Gruber Collection constitutes the core of the present volume, both in terms of quantity as well as quality. With the help of L. Fritz Gruber, the museum has also been able to acquire many other collectors, and it constantly strives to enhance the collection further with other means. Reinhold Mi&elbeck, who has been running the De- partment of Photography and Video since 1980, performs this task with great dedication, expertise and empathy, in spite of the fact that the means at our disposal are modest. The overall picture is impres- sive. Nevertheless we are not resting on our laurels but are currently busy planning visions for the collection for the coming years. With the 1993 exhibition “Photography in Contemporary German Art”, we showcased a current development that has mostly taken place in the Rhineland. It pointed to a future emphasis of the collection. With the Richard Avedon Retrospective of 1994 we presented an important photographer who addresses subjects that have fascinated various other artists of his generation: fashion, media, art, politics, poverty, viol- ence and death. At the same time, we experimented with a new kind of photographic exhibition which without doubt will influence exhibitions in the future. This and other exhibitions attest to the symbiosis of art- istic media, to mutual stimulation and enhancement of all categories of the creative arts. With the 1995 exhibition “Celebrities’ Celebrities”, drawn from the Gruber Collection, we wanted to demonstrate that the great photo- graphers of our time should be equated with all other artists and that the camera is no longer a mere technical aid for creating images that are unforgettable and that have become an integral part of our “musée imaginaire”. The present volume is a testimony to the richness of the photographic image, to the creativity of the artists who — with camera in ‘hand — are constantly taking us along on new voyages of discovery. Their artistic experiences are an enrichment of our lives. Introduction | 7