Obituary: Andreas Herzau

Herzau’s death came as no surprise to those close to him; yet it came much too soon. The departure and loss of this engaged photojournalist, author, teacher and laif member is now a sad reality. He faced up to the diagnosis of cancer, and used his remaining months to clarify the future of his work and prepare his estate. The F.C. Gundlach Foundation announced the sad news of his death last Wednesday, and made the commitment to care for his oeuvre: “With his passing, he leaves behind an extensive body of photographic work that is characterised by its authenticity and testimonial to the times. The F.C. Gundlach Foundation is now taking on the responsibility of preserving and maintaining his complex oeuvre. We bid farewell to a great photographer and long-time friend.”

Andreas Herzau combined many aspects: he was a photojournalist with a precise and critical eye, and often surprising perspectives; a controversial representative of committed photography; an opinionated lecturer and advocate; and an empathetic colleague and motivator. “He was always close to the people he photographed, often dynamically framing the subject by cropping the picture,” the Foundation’s obituary states: “The quality of his photographic work is revealed in the subjective and authentic presentation of the character of whole cities and countries. Andreas Herzau managed to reflect the mood of a society. He considered photography a type of research and expression of empathy.”

Herzau was born in Mainz in 1962. After training as a typographer, he worked as a typesetter and, from 1986 onwards, as a volunteer at the magazine Konkret and an editor at the Hamburger Rundschau newspaper. In the early nineties he switched to photography and his direct imagery quickly brought him success. In 1992 he was a founding member of the Signum Photo Agency. In 1999 he became a member of the laif Agency, and in recent years, as a member of the board, was involved in its transformation into a cooperative. He published numerous books and was the recipient of many awards. His dynamic street photography motifs have also been presented a number of times in the LFI magazine. Hamburg was his home and base for many decades. In addition to personal projects and commissioned assignments that took him around the world, he lived and worked towards the end with his wife, sociologist Renate Ruhne, in his home of choice in Bockup, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. It was there that he passed away peacefully on February 6.

Herzau’s voice will be missed, as well as his commitment and critical questioning of structures and traditional forms. The fact that his strong photographic stories remain offers a measure of consolation.