-Until May 15, 2011, at the Théâtre de la Photographie et de l’Image
27, bd Dubouchage, Nice, France, Tel. +33 0 497 134 220
(Open every day from 10 am to 6 pm except Mondays)
-The exhibition of this German photographer, considered one of the most important of the 20th century, is part of the excellent programming at the Théâtre de la Photographie et de l’Image. This Niçoise institution, skillfully run for the past year by Marie-France Bouhours, rivals major European institutions dedicated to this medium, sometimes surpassing them as was the case last year with André Kertész, who was showcased with great pomp at the Jeu de Paume this year…
-This exhibition was conceived by Gerd Sander, the grandson of August Sander, and organized in collaboration with the Galerie Priska Pasquer of Cologne and the Théâtre de la Photographie et de l’Image. Let us recall that many exhibitions have been dedicated to Sander. The one at the photokina in Cologne in 1951 marks his recognition in Germany. He was then part of the famous Family of Man exhibition organized by E. Steichen at the MoMA in New York in 1955. His first major exhibition took place after his death at the MoMA in New York, in 1969.
-An important collection is held by the Museum Ludwig in Cologne.
-The Nice exhibition offers the visitor a representative panorama of the artistic work of this great photographer.
August Sander considered photography to be “on the whole, documentary.” A vision that guided all his work.
Among the 120 black and white photos displayed, around twenty vintage prints from the 1930s, of remarkable quality, particularly draw attention. Their inimitable grain, the shades of white, gray, and black are a lesson for anyone interested in photography, whether closely or from afar! Sander provides us with a masterful vision of his city, Cologne, “as it was.” It was when he was troubled by the Nazis in the 1930s that he dedicated himself to the Rhenish landscapes and old Cologne. Some photographs of the streets of Cologne plunge us into a dizzying perspective. The famous cathedral “Dom” appears in all its splendor, before being damaged during the Second World War.
He also offers us magnificent botanical subjects and remarkable views of the Rhine.
Like all great photographers of the 20th century, Sander touched upon all genres, including advertising. But his major work, which occupied him from 1910 to the 1950s, is entitled Men of the 20th Century. The rest of the exhibition is thus made up of later prints, produced by his son, Gunther, to whom he left more than 10,000 negatives. (His studio was bombed by the Allies in 1944, and another part of his negatives was destroyed in a fire in 1946…)
Mirror of Germans and faces of our time offer us a sketch of an encyclopedic and systematic portrait of the German man. (published in its entirety in 1980 by his son).
His work, particularly his portraits, has significantly contributed to the recognition of photography as art. His artistic approach, his objective rigor, his systematic side (his series of portraits), can be considered a first example of conceptual art long before the term was known. They have influenced many contemporary artists, notably Walker Evans, Irving Penn, Diane Arbus, Robert Frank, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Thomas Ruff, Thomas Struth, or Andreas Gursky…
