Karl Blossfeldt – Photography in the Light of Art
Coming exhibition by Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur, Cologne in cooperation with the Universität der Künste, Berlin (Berlin University of the Arts) | Opening: Thursday, September 5 at 7 PM
Duration: September 6, 2024, to February 2, 2025
For the first time in two decades, Karl Blossfeldt's (1865–1932) oeuvre is being presented in this scope, featuring 271 original prints. This impressive exhibition unfolds a photographic body of work that was developed in the context of art education and only discovered as an independent artistic approach a few years before Blossfeldt's death. Today, his work is considered a classic in the history of photography, often mentioned alongside August Sander and Albert Renger-Patzsch. Blossfeldt's photographs are primarily regarded as prototypical for the New Objectivity and New Vision movements.
The exhibition is based on the collection of the Berlin University of the Arts, where Blossfeldt was trained as a sculptor at its predecessor school, and where he taught "Modeling from Plants" for three decades starting in 1899. It was there that he developed his plant photographs, which he used as teaching materials to showcase the diversity and intricate details of the botanical world to his students. The close observation and artistic representation of plant forms were intended as inspiration for designs in the fields of applied arts and architecture. Additionally, Blossfeldt created a smaller number of bronze casts of plant forms, which he also used in his teaching. Exemplary pieces, along with handwritten letters offering insights into the school's operations and discussing the relationship between natural and artistic forms, are included in the presentation.
"Photography was an essential means of expression for Karl Blossfeldt, which he used deliberately for his purposes. He photographed heavily edited plant materials in multiple enlargements against neutral light or dark-toned backgrounds. These images are of great formal strength, and beyond their function as teaching tools, they convey a visual language that, while starting from the representational, leads into abstraction. Particularly in the publications that appeared during Blossfeldt's lifetime – "Urformen der Kunst" (1928) and "Wundergarten der Natur" (1932) – it becomes evident how deeply he explored his subject matter and how much he appreciated both the aesthetic possibilities of plants and their enigmatic, magical aura."
A comprehensive catalog introducing the Berlin Blossfeldt collection will be published. Both the publication and exhibition are the result of a long-term collaboration between the Berlin University of the Arts and Die Photographische Sammliung/SK Stiftung Kultur in Cologne.
Simultaneously on view:
August Sander Award 2024
Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur, Im Mediapark 7, 50670 Köln, Tel.: +49 221/888 95 300, E-Mail: photographie( at )sk-kultur.de,
Admission: €6.50 (reduced €4), free admission on the first Thursday of the month!
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