In memory of Thomas Billhardt, who passed away on January 23 of this year, CAMERA WORK Gallery is presenting a 30-work exhibition in its reception room from February 28, 2025. On display will be well- known and rarer motifs from four decades, including a selection from Billhardt’s famous Alexanderplatz series and his Vietnam photographs. They document the photographer’s extraordinary talent for portraying people in the context of current events. The gallery is thus also fulfilling Billhardt’s wish for a presentation of his work that focuses on the positive and forward-looking aspects of his œuvre.
One of the photographs on display is Billhardt’s famous image of the Rolling Stones concert at Waldbühne in Berlin in 1965, which impressively reflects the charged atmosphere of the time. His often humorous photographic observations of Alexanderplatz show everyday life in the GDR in all its facets, while the portraits of children in air raid shelters in Vietnam document the harrowing consequences of the war with great sensitivity, but never ignore the hopeful. Also on display is one of his works from the New Year’s Eve celebrations at the Berlin Wall in 1989 — a photograph that describes the historic awakening and euphoria of the time of reunification. Billhardt’s works are not only visual testimonies of the times, but also tell of social change, emotions, and formative events of the 20th century.
Thomas Billhardt (1937—2025) began training as a photographer at the age of 14 under this mother’s guidance, and from then on, he devoted himself to the art of photography. An inexhaustible curiosity, drove him on throughout his life. Thomas Billhardt always searched for the moment, the truth and the story behind the pictures. In his reportages and portraits, he not only depicted the world, but also made it tangible and perceptible. His photographic work, which took him to over 50 countries, gave people a voice — especially those who succumbed in the world’s crisis regions. He became internationally renowned for his iconic images of the Vietnam War, which became an unforgettable contemporary document for many viewers. Thomas Billhardt was never just a photographer — he was a storyteller, a chronicler of humanity.
His photographic life’s work is owned by CAMERA WORK AG.
Thomas Billhardt (1937-2025)
February 28 – March 29, 2025
CAMERA WORK
Kantstrasse 149
10623 Berlin · Germany
telephone: +49 (0)30 310077-73
www.camerawork.de
@cameraworkgallery
