KUNSTTEXTE

Posted on April 3, 2024 by katharina guenther

SPREAD THE WORD: Jule Schaffer and I just founded a new section on photography within the German open access journal kunsttexte. For the first edition, which we are planning to launch towards the end of the year, we just published an open call for papers. The deadline is 31st May 2024.
Anyone with original perspectives on photography please apply. All topics are welcome: research on a single photographer or a genre, photo theory, media-related thoughts, formal and aesthetic issues … surprise us! We look forward to your texts, preferably in German.
Call for Papers

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RETHINKING PHOTOGRAPHY

Posted on April 3, 2024 by katharina guenther

I talked to Andy Scholz about Francis Bacon and photography for his fantastic podcast Fotografie Neu Denken (Rethinking Photography), and specifically about my research on the painter’s photographic references, published as Francis Bacon – In the Mirror of Photography (De Gruyter 2022) winning a gold medal at Deutscher Fotobuchpreis (German Photo Book Awards). Among many other things, my work shows how powerful and influential the medium of photography is even beyond its own boundaries.
You can listen to the interview, for example, on Spotify

And while you are there, check out all the other amazing episodes with photographers and photo experts such as Boris Eldagsen, Hubert Locher, Wolfgang Ullrich and Adam Broomberg!

FOTOGRAFIE NEU DENKEN. DER PODCAST

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LEE MILLER IN KLASSISCH MODERN

Posted on March 28, 2024 by katharina guenther

Very proud to have contributed to the latest issue of klassisch modern, the annual magazine of Klassik Stiftung Weimar, with fantastic texts by Peter Neumann, Anna Stiede and Nancy Hünger, amongst others. I wrote, once more, about Lee Miller‘s Buchenwald photographs – and found out where the famous picture of her with “the essentials of life”, namely wine, cigarettes and gasoline was taken, and when exactly she arrived in Weimar. Curious? Order the magazine free of charge here

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BACON AND EPHEMERAL ART

Posted on January 29, 2024 by katharina guenther

Bacon’s working material was not meant to last. In fact, the decay of the torn leaves, paint-spattered photographs and newspaper clippings was a pivotal element in his art – both for his iconography and on a conceptual level. In that it shows strong parallels to ephemeral art, which emerged around the same time that Bacon established his studio practice in 7 Reece Mews. I am exploring these coherences in my latest essay Vom Leben und Sterbenlassen in Reece Mews. Francis Bacons fotografisches Arbeitsmaterial, that was just published in the proceedings of the Marbach Weimar Wolfenbüttel Research Association’s midterm conference “Verschwinden” Vom Umgang mit materialen und medialen Verlusten in Archiv und Bibliothek.

Posted in archive, art, art history, conference, Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane, Event, expertise, Francis Bacon, painting, publication, research, scholarship, writing | Tagged | Leave a comment

DIGITAL COLLECTION RESEARCH

Posted on January 25, 2024 by katharina guenther

Last year we asked “Is digital better?” at the Marbach Weimar Wolfenbüttel Research Association’s end-term conference at Klassik Stiftung Weimar. The conference proceedings have just been published by Wallstein Verlag, with essays discussing topics from how digital methods can help in the culture of remembrance to the challenges for standardized classification and controlled vocabulary in the light of unusual items such as wine labels and the shifting perception of objects from colonial contexts. Edited by yours truly and Stefan Alschner. Many thanks to all the contributors!
Order the book here.

Favourably reviewed here: Das Historisch-Politische Buch, Vol. 72, Iss. 3-4, February 2025.

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FAHBI AT GERMAN CONGRESS FOR ART HISTORY

Posted on January 3, 2024 by katharina guenther

Roll up, roll up! Ute Engel (Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg) and I conceptualised an exciting panel for the Forum Art History Britain and Ireland FAHBI at the 37th German Congress for Art History 2024 at Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg (13th to 17th March 2024). We invited Amy Concannon from Tate Britain London, Richard Johns from the University of York, Logan Sisley from Hugh Lane Gallery Dublin, and Christian Spies from the University of Cologne/Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen to talk about questions concerning “Displaying British and Irish Art: Images of the Nation, Place, and Space.” Come and join the discussion on 13th March at 9.45, Kollegienhaus, lecture hall 1.011. We look forward to seeing you in Erlangen!

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LAUDATION DEUTSCHER FOTOBUCHPREIS

Posted on December 22, 2023 by katharina guenther

Listen to the latest episode of the podcast Fotografie Neu Denken to hear Peter Truschner‘s laudation on my book Francis Bacon – In the Mirror of Photography. Collecting, Preparatory Practice and Painting winning this year’s gold medal at Deutscher Fotobuchpreis. Thank you Peter, for this fantastic speech (no notes)!
Spotify
Podigee  

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LEE MILLER RUNDBRIEF FOTOGRAFIE

Posted on December 14, 2023 by katharina guenther

New publication: Lee Miller is currently omnipresent, and rightly so, but it’s time for new approaches to her work. Read my extensive review of the show Lee Miller. Fotografin zwischen Krieg und Glamour at Bucerius Kunst Forum in the December issue of Rundbrief Fotografie.

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PODCAST AND VIDEO RECORDING

Posted on December 7, 2023 by katharina guenther

Podcast alert: Diane Ciesielski from Kunstfreunde Köln interviewed me about my career and Francis Bacon. It was amazing to look back with her at how it all began. You can listen to it here: Spotify, Apple and podcast.de.

They also recorded my KunstBewusst lecture »Ich bin nun einmal voller Bilder« – Francis Bacon und die Fotografie, that I held on 31 October 2023 at Museum Ludwig Cologne. In case you missed it, it is availabe on YouTube. Enjoy!

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GOLD MEDAL DEUTSCHER FOTOBUCHPREIS

Posted on November 27, 2023 by katharina guenther

On Saturday I collected the Gold Medal (category “photo theory”) at Deutscher Fotobuchpreis 2023 for my book Francis Bacon – In the Mirror of Photography. Collecting, Preparatory Practice and Painting. Very proud and grateful that my work is appreciated! Thanks to all the judges and Internationales Festival Fotografischer Bilder.

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