Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Like many of his contemporaries, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880 –1938) was fascinated by the possibilities of photography and exploited them in various ways. In his work there is a noticeable interdependency of photography and visual arts that allows as to speak of an almost »photographic pictorial« conception. The catalog assembles a selection of about 100 photographic works and presents examples of all genres in which Kirchner worked: from nudes, studio scenes, and portraits to landscapes and object photographs. The artist even compiled inventories of paintings and sculptures and supplemented them with photographs of his works. Moreover, he documented exhibition settings and displays of his paintings. Although Kirchner did not consider himself a photographic artist, he did extensively exploit the possibilities of the medium of photography. The latter was an instrument of artistic discovery and invention for him.