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The exhibition ”Women War Photographers” turns to the generally underrated contribution women have made to war photography. The presentation comprises approximately 140 photographs by Carolyn Cole (born in 1961), Françoise Demulder (1947–2008), Catherine Leroy (1944–2006), Susan Meiselas (born in 1948), Lee Miller (1907–1977), Anja Niedringhaus (1965–2014), Christine Spengler (born in 1945) and Gerda Taro (1910–1937). Taken between 1936 and 2011, the photographs document the long history of women photographers working in war zones and question the widely held notion that war photography is a male preserve.

”Women’s important contribution to war photography has not received adequate recognition”, emphasizes Felix Krämer, Director General of the Kunstpalast. ”The presentation demonstrates that in war reporting, like in all other areas of photography, pictures of timeless relevance have been created. They not only provide inspiration for diverse discourse, but also deserve the appropriate recognition from museums.” The selected works illustrate that women photojournalists made use of various visual strategies and narrative forms. ”We are showing eight female photographers with eight different perspectives on the war”, explains Felicity Korn, one of the two curators. ”Each of them represents her own style. Their respective approaches switch from neutral objectivity to raw directness or sympathetic engagement and empathy.” What all works have in common is that they were created for the fast-moving news machinery. Each of the presented photographers published her pictures in important newspapers and magazines. The impact and significance of their photographs goes far beyond what is depicted. ”Exhibitions like this one are needed to extract these great photographs from the flood of pictures in the media”, explains Anne-Marie Beckmann, co-curator of the exhibition. ”Presenting them in a museum offers an opportunity to observe both their content and their artistic power in a different context, and to allow them to affect us.”

In many cases, women photographers were in the thick of the fighting, taking pictures of wartime atrocities, pictures of the wounded and dead that do not spare the viewer. As opposed to their male counterparts, they often gained access to families, not being perceived as war participants. The exhibition is laid out chronologically and comprises eight monographic chapters. The selected photographs range from images from the European conflicts of the 1930s and 1940s to recent wars around the globe. When compiling the exhibition, the intention was to represent the most important photographic positions, while also illuminating a diversity of war zones from the past 80 years.

The exhibition at the Kunstpalast shows images full of sensitivity, strength and humanity, all created under extremely adverse conditions, which are valid far beyond their status as news supplements. With their feel for composition and the right angle, the photographers have not only succeeded in concentrating on the essence. Their pictures, despite the harrowing themes, also make the eye linger despite the shocking theme.