Distilling History
Distilling History
Barbara Klemm
January 13, 2025

Gregor Gysi, Bärbel Bohley and Heiner Müller in East Berlin, November 4, 1989 © Barbara Klemm, Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen e. V.
At the heart of the showcase are photographs taken in East and West Germany before and after the reunification. The featured themes range from politics, culture and business to everyday life and social realities, from protests and demonstrations to migration, mass events and scenes captured in urban spaces. With an unerring instinct for the essence of a situation, Klemm created images that reveal far more than what is depicted on the surface. In her own words, her photographs show the “distillation of an event” – and, therefore, the distillation of history itself.
Barbara Klemm+-
Born on December 27, 1939, in Munster, Klemm grew up in a family of artists: her father, Fritz Klemm, was a Professor at the Art Academy in Karlsruhe, who introduced her to photography. In 1958 she completed a photo internship at Julia Bauer’s portrait atelier in Karlsruhe. In 1959 she began work in the photo laboratory of the FAZ newspaper; first photos as a freelancer were published; from 1970 to 2005, full-time editorial photographer for politics and features. Numerous publications and exhibitions. Number of awards (incl.): Dr. Erich Salomon Photography Award, the Hessian Culture Award, and the city of Frankfurt on the Main’s Max Beckmann Award; Leica Hall of Fame 2012. Barbara Klemm lives in Frankfurt on the Main. More

Gregor Gysi, Bärbel Bohley and Heiner Müller in East Berlin, November 4, 1989 © Barbara Klemm, Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen e. V.

Welcome for Angela Davis at the World Youth Games, East Berlin, 1973 © Barbara Klemm, Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen e. V.

Ronald Reagan visits West Berlin, 1982
© Barbara Klemm, Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen e. V.

Leipzig, 1970
© Barbara Klemm, Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen e. V.