F.C. Gundlach. Man and form

Flatz Museum Dornbirn
February 5 to May 28, 2022

F.C. Gundlach's paintings reflect the historical and stylistic developments of the second half of the 20th century. Through the interplay of people and form, his works document the changing spirit of the times from the 1950s to the 1980s. Beyond their historical significance, they have long since become iconic.

F.C. Gundlach mostly worked on commission. As a former photojournalist, he loved being on the move. Thanks to an exclusive contract with Lufthansa, he was able to cater to the burgeoning wanderlust of the post-war economic boom generation, as well as their yearning for beauty and elegance. His subjects are often exotic, even surreal. For example, his famous photograph of models wearing bathing caps in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza, far from any pool or sea – an image so revolutionary at the time that Brigitte magazine initially refused to publish it.

F.C. Gundlach's radically reduced, often almost graphic and architectural visual aesthetic became his unmistakable trademark. Each photograph is an interplay of fashion, model, and surroundings or architecture. Before every shoot, F.C. Gundlach would search for the perfect location for his fashion photography. Shapes, textures, and lines are echoed in the architecture of the background, as are the silhouettes and forms of the poses, bodies, and fashion designs. Despite, or perhaps because of, this minimalist visual language, the human figure is always the central focus in F.C. Gundlach's work.

FLATZ Museum
Marktstraße 33
6850 Dornbirn

T +43 5572 306 4839
info(at)flatzmuseum.at