Wild at Heart

Elbchaussee 159a

June 09 August 09, 2022
 

The F.C. Gundlach Foundation invites you to the Elbchaussee 159a. Mr. von Bechtolsheim, with the kind support of Nennecke & Widenmann finest homes, has made a villa available to exhibit works by F.C. Gundlach and photographs from his collection. The result is a show in impressive rooms with a breathtaking view of the Elbe. In the basement, the large-format works by F.C. Gundlach stand in front of the historic wood-paneled walls. In the upper rooms, works by young and contemporary photographers can be seen.

F.C. Gundlach is represented here as one of the most renowned German fashion photographers of the 1950s to 1970s with a cross-section of his photographic life's work: Shots such as that of Grace Coddington in front of the colorful backdrop of a Roy Lichtenstein lookalike are juxtaposed with, a reportage-like scene in a harbor pub, a series of photographs of Argentine gauchos taken for the Falke Fashion company, and many others. 

The grouping of photographs from the F.C. Gundlach Collection is based on three themes. With the artist portrait, a popular genre in photography is taken up. 
In Edgar Leciejewski's series Twelve, the clothing symbolizes the sitter's artistic working mode. The frame is then also covered with the same.

Under the heading The delimited fashion image, an aspect is highlighted that F.C. Gundlach always took into account in his collection: clothing is of interest that is not the exclusive subject of the picture, but is used to point in every conceivable direction beyond fashion. Thus the young woman in The Bartered Bride # 5 is conspicuously dolled up: high pumps, glamour and glitter. The subject of Pepa Hristova's shot, however, is not the outfit itself, but her purpose, that is, to fetch a better price at a Bulgarian bridal market in 2014/15.

Bodies in Transition sets a new kind of focus for the Gundlach Collection: with great sensitivity, the photographic positions shown here address the topic of intergender transitions. In his documentary portrait series trans*, Walter Schels accompanies young people on their path to gender reassignment. 

Why F.C. Gundlach collected all these photographers and why these photographers gathered around F.C. Gundlach? The explanation lies in his curiosity about life and his broad view of photography as an art form. This is captured in the title of the show, "Wild at Heart," borrowed from David Lynch's cult film and road movie of the same name. The female protagonist Lula pointedly summarizes, "This whole world's wild at heart and weird on top."

Opening hours:
every Saturday 14 - 18 h,
and by appointment

important notice:
Parking possibilities in the Elbchaussee.
In front of the house directly no parking and turning possibility!!!