German photography internationally not recognized


General Photography

I learn something new every day. Today’s nugget is German photography collector F.C. Gundlach’s claim that Germany needs a Photography Foundation because: “It’s also about recognition of German photography as a whole, which is not happening in the international context.” (quote translated from the original German, to be found in this article) This latter claim (“not happening in the international context”) makes me wonder what planet Herr Gundlach is living on. German photography not recognized in an international context?

He does have a point with the following, though: “That’s because it’s not present enough, and it hasn’t been worked on enough.” (again, my own translation) With German photography being mostly not available online, for example, it’s hardly surprising that despite a huge interest in German photography so much of it is unknown outside of Germany. I’m sure, though, that the new Foundation - should it come alive after years and years of committee meetings and negotiations - won’t have a website (or it will have one in German only, which you can only navigate through if you have a Ph.D. in computer sciences).

In essence the idea of a German Photography Foundation isn’t a bad idea at all, but the reason is not because German photography is internationally not recognized (which is an absurd claim) but, rather, because there is so much interest in German photography internationally.