Albert Renger-Patzsch
Park Landscapes in Hamburg
17 April – 26 June 2005

The Hall of Master Drawings

In conjunction with the 3rd Triennial of Photography – Hamburg 2005, the Hamburg Kunsthalle will be showing in the Hall of Master Drawings hitherto unknown impressions of landscapes and gardens, and portraits of trees and flowers by the photographer Albert Renger-Patzsch.

Renger-Patzsch conceived the over 40 silver gelatin prints on display here as a pictorial walk through the parkland grounds in Hamburg known as the Blankeneser Kösterberg that belonged to the Warburg family.
In 1928, on the recommendation of the art historian Carl Georg Heise, Renger-Patzsch was commissioned by the family, at the very time when his influence on photography was at its peak. The exhibition is showing this series for the first time as a whole; the photographs are otherwise scattered between various museums, galleries and private collections. Several of the shots from this commission will be familiar to some from Renger’s photographic compilations The world is beautiful and Hamburg.

The entire series of photographs is soon due to be issued in a book by Oliver Breitfeld published by the ConferencePoint Verlag, accompanied by texts explaining how this commission came about.

Curator of the exhibition: Dr. Oliver Breitfeld