calendario eventi  :: 

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30/8/2002

Two exhibitions

Huis Marseille, Amsterdam

* The Kaiser at the Keizersgracht
Wilhelm II and Photography as PR Tool

* Bernd and Hilla Becher
Facades, Photographed After 1970


31 August - 24 November 2002 at Huis Marseille Foundation for Photography


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The Kaiser at the Keizersgracht

The fifty-nine freight cars loaded with possessions that were sent by Wilhelm II, the last German Kaiser, to his place of exile in the Netherlands in 1919 and 1920 also contained thousands of photographs: framed photographs, loose photographs, photograph albums, a room divider with photographs, daguerreotypes, expensive platinum prints, autochrome plates, etc. A large portion of those photographs (ca. 12,000 pieces) is still preserved in Huis Doorn, the final residence and resting-place of the Kaiser. For the first time, a broad selection has been made from this collection, which will be presented this autumn in Huis Marseille.

The photographs in the collection of Wilhelm II reveal an early beginning of the tense relationship between media and monarchy, in which Wilhelm II portrayed his imperial rule as a permanent show through the most modern of techniques such as photography and film. It is remarkable how Wilhelm used photography to engage in public relations in a nearly modern way. Crumbling support for absolute imperial power had compelled Wilhelm to go on a charm offensive. An image both of inviolable imperial grandeur and of the bourgeois, virtuous family man had to be sustained in the media. The Kaiser hired the best photographers of the time (such as Ottomar Anschütz, Oscar Tellgmann), who used the newest and most expensive techniques to constantly take portraits of him and record his numerous parades, unveilings, military manoeuvres, yachting races and hunting expeditions. His court photographers even accompanied him on his private journeys to Norway and Corfu. The Kaiser also staged domestic scenes and had these photos distributed amongst the population.

Once in Doorn, the photographs were meant to maintain the lustre of the past. While Wilhelm lived there, the castle was filled with framed and enlarged photographs as a reminder of the pomp and circumstance of the Prussian court at the end of the century. A self-composed photographic report of World War shows, rather than trenches or bodies, Wilhelm II in the heroic role of Commander. The continuation of his PR policy while in exile reveals his undiminished hope of returning as Kaiser. Although the excursions now had to be limited to woodcutting on the estate, he had German photographers also come to the Netherlands to make state portraits. Directing everything tirelessly, the vain Kaiser above all saw the world through himself. In this, the collection differs from other imperial and royal photographic collections, such as those of the British or Dutch royal houses. Wilhelm collected not so much out of an interest in aesthetics of photography, but because he was interested in how he could use the medium to aggrandise his own image. And thus his collection primarily consists of photos that illustrate his own passions.

Only recently has the extent and quality of this photographic collection come to light. The jeopardization of Huis Doorn's existence by the discontinuation of its subsidy was the incentive to investigate its collection of over 12,000 photographs. At the initiative of Huis Marseille, but in close collaboration with Huis Doorn, an exhibition and a book have now been produced, which, supplemented with photos on loan from the Royal Archives at the Hague and the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum, will be presented in Amsterdam this autumn. The presentation refers to the exuberant manner in which these photographs once hung in the palaces in Berlin and in Huis Doorn.

Publication
In conjunction with the exhibition, Uitgeverij Europese Bibliotheek Zaltbommel is publishing a richly illustrated book: De keizer in beeld. Wilhelm II en de fotografie als p.r.-instrument. With contributions by Saskia Asser, Els Barents, Mieke Jansen, Liesbeth Ruitenberg and Dick Verroen. Design: Bureau Piet Gerards, texts in Dutch and German. ISBN 90 288 3631 4, bound, format 24 x 28 cm, 192 pages, price ca. 25 euros.

Review copies can be requested at the Europese Bibliotheek - Zaltbommel, Kitty Uijthoven, tel. 0418-513144, email: publisher@eurobib.nl

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Bernd and Hilla Becher
Facades, Photographed After 1970

The German husband and wife photography team Bernd and Hilla Becher will receive the Erasmus Prize on 23 October 2002. Each year this prize (E150,000) is awarded to a person or institution of exceptional value to Europe in the cultural, social or scientific fields. This year the prize goes to photography, under the motto 'photo and document'. On the occasion of the award, Huis Marseille is showing the series entitled Facades, which holds a noteworthy place in the oeuvre of the Bechers.

Since 1959, Bernd (1931) and Hilla Becher (1934) have worked continuously on an oeuvre that has broken new ground in both documentary and art photography. They almost exclusively document the ' anonymous architecture' of industrial complexes. In that registration, they strive for exactitude and comparability. Their systematic series of one type of building cause the individual deviations within a particular type to stand out. The historical urgency lies in the fact that the motifs present themselves particularly when demolition looms. The Facade series similarly makes the 'old economy' visible, in the form of postwar housing. The Bechers portray this functional, unadorned, serialised architecture in the same non-romantic way. An important reason for their being granted the award is the great influence that their vision has had. As a professor at the Dusseldorf Academy, Bernd Becher has taught three generations of photographers, many of whom have gained international fame, including Thomas Ruff, Andreas Gursky, Candida Höfer, Axel Hütte, Thomas Struth and Simone Nieweg. It is precisely the 'Becher School' approach to documentary photography - the sober, legible image reduced to the essence - which has repeatedly made a link to visual art.

Publication
With the awarding of the Erasmus Prize, a Festschrift for Bernd and Hilla Becher will be brought out, edited by Susanne Lange with texts by Els Barents, Rudi Fuchs, Sol LeWitt, Thomas Ruff, Thomas Struth, Candida Höfer and Ileana Sonnabend, among others. Published by Schirmer/Mosel. Texts in English and German.

Colloquium
The Praemium Erasmianum Foundation is organising a number of activities around the awarding of the Prize, including a colloquium entitled Iconography or Ideology? Documentary Photography and the Representation of Industry. The colloquium will take place in Huis Marseille on 23 October, starting at 14:30. Speakers: Susanne Lange, Bram Kempers, Mirelle Thijsen, Thomas Weski; co-speakers: Bernd and Hilla Becher, Bart Hofstede, Bert Hogenkamp and Christine Frisinghelli. You can learn more information from the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation, tel. 020-6752753, www.erasmusprijs.org

Opening
Both exhibitions will be opened on Saturday 31 August, from 17:00 to 19:00. The Kaiser at the Keizersgracht will be elucidated upon by J.R. ter Molen, director of the 'Het Loo' Palace National Museum.

Library
As of this autumn, Huis Marseille is opening its library with publications on photography to the public.

Educational Program
This autumn, children in classes 3-8 can take part in workshops in Huis Marseille, which introduce them to photography in a creative and playful fashion while making a connection with the theme of the exhibition. More information can be obtained by calling 020-5318980.

Exhibition Program 2002-2003
29/11 2002 - 23/2 2003
Naoya Hatakeyama (in collaboration with Kunstverein Hannover, Kunsthalle Nürnberg)

1/3 - 1/6 2003
Jacqueline Hassink, Mindscapes (in collaboration with the Museum for Contemporary Photography, Chicago)

Summer 2003
The East European Soul (working title). Photographs by Oleg Klimov, Kadir van Lohuizen, Marco van Duyvendijk, Vodja Dukat.


Information
For further information about these exhibitions, please contact Saskia Asser or Marjan Torringa (020 53 18980). You are also cordially invited to preview the exhibition by appointment on Thursday the 29th or Friday the 30th of August.

Opening hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday, 11:00 - 17:00 hours; Thursday through Saturday, 11:00 - 19:00 hours (close on Monday)

Entrance fees: E 2.50 / E 1.25 (CJP, Stadspas, Rembrandt Pass, students, groups)
Free: MJK, ICOM Pass, children up to 12

Huis Marseille
foundation for photography

Keizersgracht 401
1016 EK Amsterdam
The Netherlands
T +31(0)20.5318989
F +31(0)20.5318988

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