Town and Country and Dogs

Sibylle Bergemann (1941–2010) is one of Germany’s best-known photographers. Her reputation was sealed by her series “The Monument” (1975–1986) and her fashion photography. Here visitors can explore the full diversity of her work and find out how she built on her earlier success in the GDR after Germany re-united. Bergemann lived and worked in the central Berlin borough of Mitte and in the countryside of northern Brandenburg. The homes where she lived with Arno Fischer, her companion, were at once workplaces and retreats. They were frequently the scene of lively gatherings with friends and acquaintances. Talking to kindred spirits was the basis for developing independent photography. Her career was launched by publications in the weekly “Sonntag” (1967) and the fashion and culture magazine “Sibylle” (1970). In 1990, after the Wall opened, she and a few colleagues founded “Ostkreuz” as an independent agency for photographers. Commissions for magazines and newspapers like “Geo” and “Die Zeit” followed. Meanwhile she continued showing at exhibitions. For Sibylle Bergemann photography was a form of artistic expression. Her approach to reality was subjective – and at once both serious and witty. In the course of more than four decades she created a distinctive universe of fashion photography, portraits and essay-style picture reportage. Recurring motifs are cities, women and – over and again – dogs. This exhibition offers a retrospective and personal view of her work. Among more than 200 photographs on show here, 30 can be seen for the first time.