One little-known part of the holdings of the Ann and Jürgen Wilde Foundation is the extensive collection of photographs by Alfred Ehrhardt (1901–1984), who was active as an artist, church musician, art teacher, and maker of “Kulturfilme” (scientific, educational documentaries). Ehrhardt took up the camera in 1933 after being dismissed from his teaching post at the state art school in Hamburg, as the newly installed Nazi government’s cultural policies came into effect. During his time as choirmaster and organist in Cuxhaven, the mudflats of the North Sea coast provided a motif allowing him to try out a modern visual vernacular. With the portfolios “Das Watt” (The Tidelands, 1933–36) and “Die Kurische Nehrung” (The Curonian Spit, 1934), Ehrhardt created a series of masterful nature and landscape photographs. Abstracted organic surfaces and sculptural forms reflect an understanding of nature that sees a primal force in all creation. The same philosophical underpinnings lie in Ehrhardt’s later image series on crystals and shells.
Ann and Jürgen Wilde first came into contact with Alfred Ehrhardt in 1972 and were able to acquire an extensive collection of vintage prints from the 1930s directly from the artist. The Wildes were instrumental in the rediscovery of Ehrhardt’s camera work, with exhibitions at their gallery in 1981 and the publication of a portfolio of his work. They initiated research into his photographic legacy and supported the establishment of the Alfred Ehrhardt Stiftung in 2002, which handles his artistic estate.
The exhibition shows around 60 vintage prints, some of them large-format, and historical documents from the Foundation’s collection. The presentation is accompanied by a publication.
The exhibition is the result of a partnership between the Ann and Jürgen Wilde Foundation, the Bavarian State Painting Collections, and the Alfred Ehrhardt Stiftung, Berlin
Curator: Simone Förster in collaboration with Christiane Stahl (Alfred Ehrhardt Stiftung, Berlin)
Alfred Ehrhardt : Wind, Sand, and Water
June 14 until September 8, 2024
Pinakothek der Moderne
Room 25
Barer Str. 40
80333 München, Germany
www.pinakothek.de
