State Museum and Exhibition Centre for Photography ROSPHOTO
Goethe-Institut St. Petersburg
St.-Petersburg A-Ya Society
Supported by
Ministry for Culture of the Russian Federation

Arno Fischer is an iconic figure in history of German photography. The ROSPHOTO exhibition presents ca. 140 pieces of the renowned master unveiling different periods of his work.

The starting point for the exhibition is one of Fischer's early series, Situation Berlin. These photographs were made from 1953 to 1960, just before construction of the Berlin Wall. In 1961 they were rejected for publication, but it was this series that introduced the talented photographer to the society. His prophetic image Crack in the Wall, which was created in the early 1950’s became a symbol of the divided Berlin.

Documentary photography wasn’t Arno Fischer’s sole interest. After his failure with Situation Berlin he created a black-and-white series picturing German diva Marlene Dietrich, also on display at the exhibition. The actress loved these photographs so much that she asked Fischer to give her the negatives in a private letter.

This exhibition also includes images that were commissioned by the fashion magazine Sibylle published in the DDR. Indeed, Fischer and his wife Sibylle Bergemann made a revolutionary contribution to the genre of fashion photography. It was a common practice to shoot models in studio settings, for this kind of pictures was widely spread in fashion magazines like Vogue and Elle. Instead, the Fischers took models out to the streets and industrial interiors.

Arno Fischer's students will lead master classes for young photographers before the exhibition opening. Registration is open at ROSPHOTO.