Will McBride: 1931-2015

January 30, 2015

The photographer and painter Will McBride passed away yesterday at the age of 84.
Will McBride was born in St. Louis in 1931. In 1955, he moved to Berlin where he created his first extensive photographic series – and where he acquired his first Leica.

"I got my first Leica in the mid-fifties. There was a camera shop in Berlin's Schloßstraße, and in exchange for taking a portrait of the owner's children, I was given a second-hand Leica."

It was to become McBride's tool for documenting post-war Berlin. However, instead of focusing on the city's ruins and destruction, he captured the joye-de-vivre of its inhabitants, emerging from the time of war. In his later years, the artist predominantly worked as a painter. In 2004, the German Society for Photography (DGPh) awarded him the Dr. Erich Salomon Prize in honour of his life's work.

Most recently, his work was showing at the photo gallery C/O Berlin – the exhibition ended on 17 January.
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Will McBride: 1931-2015