RETROSPECTIVE: MICHAEL SCHMIDT

Photographs 1965—2014

Michael Schmidt (1945–2014) occupies a unique position in contemporary German photography. Born in Berlin and with no formal training in photography, he discovered the medium as a form of artistic expression in the mid-1960s. The retrospective at the Hamburger Bahnhof portrays his life’s work chronologically for the first time and also represents the first exhibition of the photographer’s oeuvre in his hometown of Berlin in 25 years.

For each of his work groups, Schmidt developed an individual photographic method of accessing reality. These include portraits, self-portraits, cityscapes, landscapes and still lifes. Along with the series Waffenruhe (1987), Ein-heit (1996), Lebensmittel (2012) and other original photographs, the exhibition presents unpublished working prints, book designs and archival materials to illustrate the development of Schmidt’s art, which through its continual exploration and innovation has been seminal for a younger generation of photographers.

Cover Image: Michael Schmidt, o.T. aus EIN-HEIT / U-NI-TY, 1991-94, Bromsilbergelatineprint, © Stiftung für Fotografie und Medienkunst mit Archiv Michael Schmidt

// 

(Text from Hamburger Bahnof – Museum für Gegenwart)