Angela Merkel. Portraits 1991–2021

Angela Merkel: An epoch ends - and with it a unique project worldwide. Between 1991 and 2021, the exceptional politician was photographed regularly by Herlinde Koelbl. The result is a journey through the era of Angela Merkel, revealing the portrait of a remarkable physical and psychological transformation and the record of an extraordinary encounter. The book features essays by Christopher Clark & Kristina Spohr, George Packer and Christoph Stölzl, exclusive interviews with Angela Merkel and a chronology of her political career.

What did she have to learn, how did she have to change in order to persist, indeed to survive politically? How did politics impact her private life? The renowned photo artist succeeded in capturing Merkel’s human side through other means apart from her camera lens. Usually extremely reserved, the politician answered Koelbl’s questions with such surprising openness and intimacy that, according to the Guardian, the two women share “one of the most unusual relationships in modern politics.” Herlinde Koelbl presents a documentary portrait in words and images, of a kind that does not exist for any other global leader. It travels through time, spanning the Angela Merkel epoch—from the first year to the last. It is the portrait of an extreme physical and psychological transformation, and the written record of a unique rapport.

he photographer and author

Herlinde Koelbl is one of the most renowned German photographic artists. Her comprehensive oeuvre is characterized above all by long-term photographic projects, often complemented by in-depth interviews and videos. Her photographs have been shown at numerous international exhibitions and are represented in many major collections. Herlinde Koelbl has published more than a dozen books of photography, including Fascination of Science (2021), Targets (2014), Traces of Power (1999)andJewish Portraits (1989). She has been honored for her work multiple times, among others, with the Dr. Erich Salomon Award in 2001 and with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2009.