Erich Salomon and Barbara Klemm

• Barbara Klemm: Fall of the Berlin Wall, Berlin, November 10,1989
  © Barbara Klemm
• Barbara Klemm: At the Reichstag, Berlin, 1987
  © Barbara Klemm
• Erich Salomon: Cecil Beaton working at the Vogue studios, Paris 1936
  © Reproduction: Berlinisch
• Erich Salomon: Lighting over the Palace of Nations, Geneva 1936
  © Reproduction: Berlinische Galerie, Landesmuseum für Moderne Kunst, Fotografie und Architektur

Erich Salomon (b. 1886 in Berlin – died 1944 in Auschwitz) and Barbara Klemm (born 1939 in Münster) always saw themselves as journalists, rather than artists. And yet, their respective oeuvres are imbued with a distinctly artistic quality.

Erich Salomon was the definitive star photographer of his time. He was famous for his ability to gain access to high-society events – capturing candid images and, at times, even working with hidden cameras. And yet, he never shot sensationalist exposés, but created photographs that were imbued with an intimate, privileged sensibility.

Barbara Klemm has photographed many of the most important events in recent German history – making her images an integral part of the country’s collective visual memory. Even without ever concealing her camera, she, too, captured images that were candid and unposed – often conveying complex situations within a single frame.

A selection of the two photographers’ most iconic works is now presented in the showcase ‘Zeitsprung’ (Time Leap). Conceptualised by Germany’s Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa), the touring exhibition is on display at Kazakhstan’s largest art museum until December 25, 2020.

For further information visit A. Kasteyev State Museum of Arts