2_0_DiscoverGermany_August 2015_Issue29:Scan Magazine 1
27/7/15
16:44
Page 72
Discover Germany | Culture | Fotostiftung Schweiz
Preserving Switzerland’s photographic heritage A true pioneer in Europe, the Fotostiftung Schweiz is Switzerland’s oldest and one of the most important photography institutes. Seeking to collect and preserve Switzerland’s photographic legacy, it manages to communicate the medium as a diverse language of our time through a variety of exhibitions, events, discussions and publications. TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF I PHOTOS: HERBERT MATTER / FOTOSTIFTUNG SCHWEIZ I CHRISTIAN SCHWAGER
Comprising of more than 50,000 exhibition prints, 250,000 archival prints and one million negatives, as well as diapositives, the Fotostiftung Schweiz encourages visitors to think about photography in a visually attractive way.“In times of social media, photography has become extremely shortlived. We want visitors to understand and interpret a picture.Thus, we collect Switzerland’s photographic past because, after all, if we don’t understand the past, we don’t understand the present,“ Dr. Peter Pfrunder, director, explains. The current Jules Decrauzat exhibition shouldn’t be missed. Displayed until 11 Oc-
tober, it tells the visual story of a still unknown photographer, who became Switzerland‘s first photojournalist. More than 100 modern prints deriving from historical glass negatives from the time between 1910 and 1925 show his impressive works, which include an extensive portfolio of sports photography.“The dynamics of his snapshots are incredible. We are proud that we have discovered and are able to show a new chapter of Swiss photographic history,“ Dr. Pfrunder notes. Collaborating with the Fotomuseum Winterthur, both institutes have created the Centre for Photography on site to allow for a wider picture of photography. Both inde-
Top: Herbert Matter, Trudi als Chinesin, 1933 Above: Exhibition view of Aerial Photographs by Georg Gerster
pendent institutes follow different aims and thus create an impressive space for international and national temporary exhibitions. www.fotostiftung.ch
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