In the Face of History:
European Photographers in the 20^th Century

The Barbican Art Gallery in London, England presents In the Face of History: European Photographers in the 20^th Century, on display until January 28^th, 2007.

Organized by Kate Bush and Mark Sladen, the show aims at bringing together the work of many of the greatest photographers of the 20th century making this the first major exhibition to chart the history of European photography from 1910 to the present day.

From images of Paris in the 1930s to flower power in1960s Amsterdam, moments in history are captured by photographers who are immersed within the world they portray. With many works never before seen in the UK, images by relatively unknown photographers are shown alongside iconic images by Brassai, Robert Doisneau and Wolfgang Tillmans.

The medium of photography has become the historians ink and quill in the modern age. Earth shattering events are brought to life with stunning realism by photographers who were there to witness the events.


André Kertész for example carried his camera to the front as a conscript in the Austro Hungarian army, whilst Henryk Ross was employed as the official photographer of the ghetto at Lodz. Ross’s horrifying images, which were buried in barrels in the frozen earth, were later rescued and used in the 1961 trial of Adolph Eichmann.

Alongside dramatic world events, slower social and cultural change is tracked by photographers operating outside the mainstream. Christer Strömholm, a precursor to Nan Goldin, lived amongst and photographed a community of transsexuals in 50s Paris, whilst Anders Petersen’s Café Lehmitz chronicles the lives and loves of prostitutes and addicts in Hamburg’s notorious red light district. Technicolour images of the aftermath of rock concerts and street fashion by Ed van Elsken summon the energy, optimism and spontaneity of the 60s and 70s.

Designed to be both chronological and thematic, the exhibition offers a unique perspective on a century seen through the eyes of Europe’s greatest photographers.

More information about the show can be found at http://www.barbican.org.uk/gallery