Germaine Krull: Photographer of Modernity

by Kim Sichel

Germaine Krull (1897-1985) led an extraordinary life that spanned nine decades and four continents. She witnessed many of the high points of modernism and recorded some of the major upheavals of the twentieth century. Her photographs include avant-garde montages, ironic studies of female nudes, press propaganda shots, as well as some of the most successful commercial and fashion images of her day. Her political commitments led her from communist allegiance to incarceration in Russia as a counterrevolutionary to support of the Free French cause against Hitler to a reclusive existence among Tibetan monks in India. Kim Sichel's study of this remarkable artist reveals a life of deep convictions, implausible transformations, complex emotional relationships, and inspired achievements. Krull refused to limit herself to one long-term relationship, one geographical region, or one set of religious and moral beliefs. Contemporary critics ranked her with Man Ray and André Kertesz. Younger photographers such as Berenice Abbott looked up to her. Yet until recently the absence of an archive has made a proper evaluation of Krull's contribution to photography and to modernism difficult if not impossible. In this book Sichel examines Krull's autobiographical texts and photographic oeuvre to present and unravel the rich mythology that Krull fabricated around her life and work. The chapters follow the geographical and chronological sequence of Krull's life, moving from Munich to Moscow to Berlin to Amsterdam to Paris to Brazil to Africa to Bangkok and other locations. This book, which accompanies the first major retrospective exhibition on Krull, should secure Krull's rightful place among the masters of twentieth-century photography. EXHIBITION Museum Folkwang Essen, Germany October 1999 - December 1999 Haus der Kunst Munich, Germany December 1999 - February 2000 San Francisco Museum of Modern Art San Francisco, California March - June 2000 Kunsthal Rotterdam, the Netherlands August - September 2000 Centre Pompidou Paris, France November - December 2000

Genres: Photography

363 pages, Hardcover

First published December 10, 1999

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most expansive biography of the avantegarde photographer, whose work can´t be easily but into genres. Her life is profoundly interesting and really well researched by Sichel.
There are feminist readings of her art included, though stuck in second wave feminist type of commentary...
Some tries at queer reading, but still so much more to write about!
At least critically orientalist-informed written (Krulls later work).
Overall a book for a great and detailed overview of Krulls life and profession as an artist with good-quality images, which I wish were more written about in detail...

[Red · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 2002 someone asked me for shelter. So we went to café Krull to discuss the matter. Next to our table a little orchestra began to play and little was left to talk. You see

[Türkay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraordinary life story, extraordinary photographs, in an extraordinary book .