On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the birth of Michael Schmidt, the Jeu de Paume presents a major retrospective of this artist, considered one of the major pillars of the history of German art of the 20th century.
A tribute to a great photographer, this exhibition presents originals, unpublished work prints, book projects and other archives illustrating the evolution of his artistic work. It also wants to highlight the process of recognition of photography as a form of artistic expression in Germany and Europe from the 1970s.
Like Bernd and Hilla Becher, Michael Schmidt is one of the most influential post-war photographers. He tirelessly developed his work for five decades. Through the publication of his works in the form of books and installations always in dialogue with their place of exhibition, he has developed different types of innovative presentation. By constantly renewing his formal language and choosing his themes, Michael Schmidt has written a part of the history of photography and is today a model for a whole generation of young photographers.
Born in Berlin on October 6, 1945, it is in this city that he lived and worked until his death in 2014. This autodidact worked as a photographer from the mid-1970s, first of all exclusively in his hometown . This is where the series devoted to Kreuzberg and Wedding – two districts of West Berlin – began, which already go beyond the simple description of a district, taking on a broader meaning. It is with the book and exhibition project developed in collaboration with the director and playwright Einar Schleef, Waffenruhe (Ceasefire), first presented in Berlin in 1987, that Michael Schmidt undeniably achieved artistic work.
Michael Schmidt : Une autre photographie allemande
June 8 – August 29, 2021
Jeu de Paume
1, place de la Concorde 75001 Paris
01 47 03 12 50
