28 settembre 2007 - 6 gennaio 2008, Berlin
On the 150th anniversary of the birth of the French photographer Eugène Atget (1857–1927) a grand retrospective of his works will open at the Martin-Gropius-Bau, in Niederkirchnerstraße 7, Berlin. The exhibition was mounted by the Bibliothèque nationale de France. A selection of 350 works from Atget’s extensive oeuvre will be on display. Between 1897 and 1927 Atget, like no other photographer, captured the old Paris in his pictures. His shots show the city in its various facets: narrow lanes and courtyards in the historic city centre with its old buildings, of which some were soon to be demolished, magnificent palaces from the period before the French Revolution, bridges and quays on the banks of the Seine, and shops with their window displays. He photographed stairwells and architectural details on the façades and took pictures of the interiors of apartments. His interest also extended to the environs of Paris. He produced timeless views of the parks of Versailles, Saint-Cloud and Sceaux. In addition to architecture and the urban environment he also photographed street-hawkers, small tradesmen, rag collectors and prostitutes as well as fairs and popular amusements in the various districts. The outlying districts and peripheral areas, in which the poor and homeless sought shelter, also furnished him with pictorial motifs. Atget, who had begun his career as an actor and tried his luck as a painter without success, did not begin to work as a photographer until 1888. He originally offered his pictures, which he called “documents pour artistes”, as originals for artists and craftsmen to work from. From 1898 onwards he increasingly devoted himself to the systematic documentation of the buildings that bore witness to the period before 1789. The photographs were bought by institutions like the Bibliothèque historique de la Ville de Paris, the Bibliothèque nationale, and museums. His activity came at a time when there was a general awareness that Modernism was ushering in a new era. Hence the efforts of various institutions to have a visual record of the old Paris as it was before it underwent its architectural transformation. […] The exhibition in the Martin-Gropius-Bau comprises seven chapters. A particular highlight may be seen in the albums compiled by Atget himself on various themes, such as Parisian apartments, shop windows, and fortifications. […] Info: tel +49 (0)30 25486-0 fax +49 (0)30 25486-107 e-mail:post@gropiusbau.de; www.gropiusbau.de