Mensch. Raum. Geschichte. Die Fotografische Sammlung im Stadtmuseum Düsseldorf

Jun 19

Clara Bolin, Daria Bona, Linda Conze, Christoph Danelzik-Brüggemann, Laura Heise, Julia Lederle-Wintgens, Cennet Maggiarosa, Ulrich Pohlmann, Kathrin Schönegg, Joachim Schröder, Anja Schürmann, Irmgard Siebert, Dietmar Haubfleisch, Steffen Siegel, Katharina Täschner, Kathrin Yacavone

The Photographic Collection of the Stadtmuseum Düsseldorf (Düsseldorf City Museum) preserves photography from and about the city of Düsseldorf. It encompasses photography from the beginnings of the medium to the present day in a remarkably broad range: from early daguerreotypes to contemporary video works; from family photographs and commissioned photography to artistic explorations. The collection reflects the history of the city and its transformation over time, while tracing the history of photography since its invention.

This book offers the first comprehensive insight into this unique collection, vividly capturing the collection’s thematic and material diversity. It brings together significant works and renowned photographers with image-makers who remain largely unknown, presenting a cross-section of local photographic history. Accompanying short texts by various authors present individual protagonists, explore the backgrounds and functions of the images, and offer insightful perspectives on the collection, its history, and the medium of photography.

Across its pages, photographs from different periods and contexts engage in a visual dialogue that invites multiple interpretations and directs the viewer’s gaze beyond the city’s boundaries and into the world. What do the images tell us about life in the city and the people who shape it? What do they reveal about our relationship to urban space and the environment? And what do they convey about the ways we perceive history through photography?

Language: German