Theo Frey
dal 17/12/2014 al 14/2/2015
Segnalato da
The State Museum and Exhibition Centre
17/12/2014
Theo Frey
Rosphoto State Russian Center for Photography, St. Petersburg
An exhibition of works by the Swiss photographer, his social and political conscience made him skeptical of purely formal and aesthetic games
An exhibition of works by the Swiss photographer from the collection of Swiss Foundation of Photography (Winterthur, Switzerland). Along with such prominent photographers as Hans Staub, Gotthard Schuh or Paul Senn, Theo Frey (1908-1997) is among the classic representatives of Swiss reportage photography. This is partly because it has been insufficiently accessible until now, and it is probably also partly connected with Frey's unpretentious style: his carefully composed, objective reportages are less dependent on fleeting and dramatic photographs than on his unfailingly eye for the inconspicuous - for everyday life that makes people what they are. Theo Frey endowed his photographs with social commitment and a deep sympathy to the lives of ordinary people. His main work originated in the late 1930s and 40s and is primarily dedicated to rural life in Switzerland. From the 1950s on, he worked mainly for charitable institutions, and his role as a reportage photographer faded into the background. When Theo Frey introduced a balance of his work in his book Rueckblende. Fuenfzig Jahre Bildberichte in 1989, he presented an image of a photographer whose main concern was the creation of contemporary historical documents. Today, a decade after his death, it would seem to be time to revitalize this self-presentation. Frey never described his work as art; his social and political conscience made him skeptical of purely formal and aesthetic games. But he knew very well that his "documents" owed their power and significance to incisive creative design. (Image: Worker of the tobacco factory, Brissago, 1947. C Fotostiftung Schweiz / Swiss Foundation of Photography) Opening on Thursday December 18, 2014, at 6 p.m.