SACHLICH NEU

The exhibition is on view from 22 September 2024 through 27 April 2025 at the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen Mannheim in the rem-Stiftungsmuseen C4,12.

2025 is the year of the 100th anniversary of the legendary Mannheim exhibition "New Objectivity". To mark the occasion, the Reiss-Engelhorn Museums and the Forum Internationale Photographie are presenting the special exhibition "SACHLICH NEU. Photographs by August Sander, Albert Renger-Patzsch & Robert Häusser".

August Sander (1876 - 1964) and Albert Renger-Patzsch (1897 - 1966) are considered the most important photographers of the German New Objectivity movement. For the first time, the exhibition juxtaposes their incunabula of the 1920s and 30s with photographic icons by renowned photographer Robert Häusser (1924 - 2013) opening up unexpected and enriching perspectives.

Häusser's post-war works in the style of "Magical Realism" and "Subjective Photography" enter into a fascinating dialogue with the New Objectivity masterpieces. The exhibition focuses on the themes "Portraits and representations of people", "Industrial context and people at work" and "Landscapes". The selected works by Häusser reflect the period of upheaval between belief in progress and skepticism after two world wars, the rupture and the new beginning as well as the fragility of our existence in its beauty and abysmal nature.

"SACHLICH NEU" is a photographic contribution to the "New Objectivity" anniversary year and accompanies a major special exhibition at the Kunsthalle Mannheim. Both coincide with the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen celebrating the 100th birthday of Robert Häusser.