calendario eventi  :: 

X

2/6/2008

Manfred Leve

Galerie Ficher Rohr, Basel

Manfred Leve, born in Trier, Germany, in 1936, is one of the few artist-photographers who work exclusively in the field of contemporary art. As a rule his images of visual artists are the outcome of a dialogue between photographer and subject. However, his photographs of artists such as Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, Nam June Paik, Blinky Palermo and Joseph Beuys are not merely portraits of artist-friends, they are also born of mutual respect. On this basis Leve creates images that both document and probe events. And as such these images, as independent syntheses, become works of art in their own right. Often the subjects of these photographs are shown in the context of their own art, at work in the studio, with a finished piece, or by a work in progress.

Manfred Leve’s empathetic vision – which he reinforces in the act of taking a photograph and secures in what is photographed – meant that he seemed predestined to document precisely the events in the 1950s that were to contribute to the development of new art forms. Leve became the prime witness and interpreter of the ephemeral Actions and performances in the early days of Fluxus and Happenings, that were nurtured by the latest developments in experimental music and experimental theatre. Had it not been for Manfred Leve, we would not now have the carefully devised series, sequences and suites of photographs recording events that were at the heart of the paradigmatic episodes that shaped the history of art after the Second World War.

It is to his credit alone that these moments still make an impact on viewers today, so long after the event. In certain cases – John Cage’s Music Walk through Galerie 22 in Düsseldorf in 1958, Sylvano Bussotti’s Brève for solo ondes Martenot in the same place and year, Nam June Paik’s Hommage à John Cage of 1959, Merce Cunningham’s Ballet Evening in Cologne in 1960, and NEO-DADA in der Musik at the Kammerspiele in Düsseldorf on 16 June 1962 – Manfred Leve was not only present, he also participated as the performers’ own accredited photographer. In a sense he was included in the planning for the event. All this means that his photographs are more than documentary records. As a co-creator, camera in hand, his status is not restricted to that of a participant documenting events. Through his input the reality of the situation is imbued with a higher visual meaning.

However, when it became fashionable for other photographers and film-makers to make photographs of Actions, Happenings and performances, and to shoot films and videos, Manfred Leve ceased to work in this field. He set himself new photographic aims and turned the single portrait photograph into a portrait sequence showing the artist in action. In pictures taken at regular intervals, Leve portrays his subjects either in a reserved mode and all but motionless, or dynamic and intensely active. The portrait series of artists such as Blinky Palermo, Nam June Paik, Gerhard Richter and Sigmar Polke are amongst the outstanding masterpieces of modern portrait photography and are seen to advantage in this exhibition.

This exhibition is the first presentation in Switzerland of photographs from all phases of Leve’s career to date and includes a number of portrait sequences, namely Blinky Palermo of 1968, Sigmar Polke’s Tanz mit dem Tuch of 1986 and Nam June Paik’s Hommage à Jean-Pierre Wilhelm of 1978. Also on display are sequences showing Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke and Joseph Beuys in his studio as well as portrait series of Frank Stella, made during his visits to Europe in 2006 and 2007.

Vernissage: Tuesday, 3 June, 3 pm

Galerie Ficher Rohr
Schertlingasse 4, Basel
free admission

stampa

permanent link