August Sander: People of the 20th century

On display in the exhibition is an early, rare work from August Sander's master portfolio: "Der erdgebundene Mensch" (print from the 1930s) as well as other original prints by August Sander and late prints by Gunther Sander from 1986. In addition to the works from "Menschen des 20. Jahrhunderts", the cabinet exhibition also shows photos of his commissioned works from the Cologne stages taken in the 1930s.

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August Sander (1876-1964) is one of the most famous and internationally recognized photographers of the 20th century. Main focus of his work was always portraiture. However, Sander was also working in the fields of landscape, botany, architecture as well as object and stage photography, with commissioned work and "freelance" work lying close together and often inseparable.

In the 1920s in particular, August Sander made a name for himself in artistic circles with his portrait and social portrait project entitled "People of the 20th Century". This project, which he planned extensively, was to include hundreds of portraits that were to be created from 1900 until the photographer's final creative phase. A work that was subject to continuous editing. The concept, which Sander created in the mid-1920s and to which he adhered throughout his life, envisaged seven groups: "The Farmer", "The Craftsman", "The Woman", "The Estates", "The Artists", "The Metropolis" and "The Last People". Due to Sander's idea of being able to illustrate an adequate image of the times through comparative, synergetically complementary series and groupings of images - again compiled from realistic, typical views - August Sander is regarded as a pioneer of conceptual photography. At the same time, he is associated with the "Neue Sachlichkeit" of the 1920s through his direct and clear visual language, which has its origins in the early days of photography. (quoted from Gabriele Conrath-Scholl, Head of The Photographic Collection/SK Stiftung Kultur, Cologne, 2019)