A Nuanced Art

The reciprocal relationship between photography and fashion is almost as old as the medium itself: its first precursors date back to the mid-19th century, when Adolphe Braun photographed the Comtesse Virginia Oldoini at the the court of Napoleon III in a series of dresses – essentially making her the first photographic model in history.

The delicate beginnings of fashion photography can be found in images from the 1920s and 1930s. Yva (born Else Ernestine Neulaender), for example, portrayed her models with an elegant restraint. From 1927 onwards, she specialised in studio work for newspapers and magazines – replacing elaborate sets and historical props with modern techniques, distinguished by blurred lighting and minimalist environments. 

Comprising around 160 photographs, the exhibition illustrates the many ways in which fashion photography has been pushing boundaries for almost a century to date, and highlights the interconnection between fashion, historical contexts and societal transformations.
 
The showcase also includes works by Eve Arnold, Sibylle Bergemann, Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Gerti Deutsch, Lotte Jacobi, Barbara Klemm, Hermann Landshoff, Robert Lebeck, Cristina de Middel, Inge Morath, Ruth Orkin, Martin Parr, Alex Webb, Donata Wenders and Isabelle Wenzel, amongst others.