Arno Schmidt, Photographer

Arno Schmidt (1914–1979) was not only one of the most important authors of the twentieth century, but a photographer as well. Since it was first published and exhibited in 2003, his photographic oeuvre has increasingly sparked interest among art and photography audiences. Schmidt’s images feature those places that served as settings for the stories he was planning. Most of them, however, document the heath around his home in the village of Bargfeld in northern Germany. His photographs transform the dimensions of the actual landscape into planes of color and texture that exude harmony and balance. His “creative eye” allowed him to generate arresting still lifes out of the most inconspicuous everyday objects, such as a wheelbarrow or a garden hose. This publication examines this secondary body of art works from a variety of perspectives.   Exhibition schedule: Günter Grass-Haus, Lübeck, July 8–October 2, 2011 |  École Normale Supérieure de Photographie (ENSP), Arles, November 9–December 11, 2011 | Literaturzentrum Vorpommern Koeppenhaus, Greifswald, opening February 2012 | Deutsch-Italienisches Kulturinstitut, Venice, opening April/May 2012 | Kurt Tucholsky Literaturmuseum Schloss Rheinsberg, opening November, 2012 | Deichtorhallen Hamburg | Kunsthalle Erfurt | And further venues