Historical photography is increasingly attracting public interest - not least because of its supposed authenticity and special proximity to historical reality. It shapes our perception of the past in a haunting way that is both documentary and emotional at the same time.
An important focus of the gallery lies in the „Archive Wendling“ which includes extensive photographs of Munich by Herbert Wendling from the 1930s to the 1960s. The photographs show the urban transformation of the city and provide an impressive insight into everyday life at that time.
Another outstanding collection are historical Recordings of the Oberammergau Passion Play from 1922produced by the then court photographer Henry Traut. These works combine documentary accuracy with staged imagery and open up new perspectives on an iconic cultural event in Bavaria.
Photography as a reflection of the city
Photography is a central medium for documenting urban development - it shapes how we see and judge cities.
Gerhard Grabsdorf deliberately focuses on the less beautiful sides of Munich. With his urban photography, he documents and comments on the city's transformation: wasteland, architectural blunders, lost places, street art and temporary events become the visual archive of a constantly changing metropolis.
A central focus of the gallery is on contemporary painting and sculpture. On display are works by both established and up-and-coming Artiststhat deal with current themes, forms and materials.
Particular attention is paid to wooden sculptures, which are produced in an expressive, handcrafted process using a chainsaw. These works combine raw energy with fine artistic intention and stand in exciting contrast to classical sculpture.
The gallery is one of the few galleries to focus on kinetic art - works of art that are set in motion by mechanical, hydraulic or electric drives.
This form of visual art experienced a heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, later fell into obscurity and is now experiencing a remarkable rediscovery. The gallery regularly presents exhibitions of national and international kinetic artists and offers a platform for this fascinating form of expression.
Between 2011 and 2023, an annual Munich calendar with historical city views by photographer Herbert Wendling was published.
The illustrated book followed in 2020 „München 1930–1960 – Ein Spaziergang durch Stadt und Zeit“ with photographs from three decades of Munich's city history. Wendling, a professional photographer, documented everyday life in the city with great dedication. In over 40 years, he created a photographic archive that is now considered a valuable treasure trove of historical city photography.
This was complemented by the illustrated book „Spurensuche München“which juxtaposes historical and contemporary urban photography and thus makes visual continuities and ruptures in urban space visible.
Other publications include an infinite calendar and a catalog with city photographs by Gerhard Grabsdorf, which critically accompanies the transformation of urban space. In addition, there is the catalog for the “LowTech Instruments Museum” and a publication on the “Sägewesen” by Elsa Nietmann, whose expressive wooden sculptures made with a chainsaw are an integral part of the gallery program.
