F.C. Gundlach: Masters of Fashion Photography

ARTE/NDR 2017 26 min
TV premiere Sunday, February 11, 2018, 11:15 a.m. on ARTE

Franz Christian Gundlach, known as F.C. Gundlach, has photographed them all: Romy Schneider, Maria Schell and Nadja Tiller, Jean Cocteau, Jean-Luc Godard and Curd Jürgens. The photographs of the now 91-year-old artist, who lives in Hamburg-Harvestehude, are exhibited worldwide and have influenced an entire generation of photographers.

For Gundlach, born in 1926 in Heinebach, North Hesse, Paris was the starting point of a remarkable career: he had his first exhibition there in 1951. He moved to Hamburg and, with photo essays for magazines such as Film und Frau and Brigitte , became one of the most important fashion photographers of the 20th century. Since the 1960s, Gundlach has also been active as an entrepreneur, collector, and curator. In 1975, he opened the first photography gallery in Germany and, since 2003, has been the founding director of the House of Photography at the Deichtorhallen in Hamburg.

Hamburg-based director Eva Gerberding repeatedly followed F.C. Gundlach with her camera over a period of five years, for example during the preparation of exhibitions and at his 90th birthday party. For the film, Gundlach grants exclusive access to his private archive.