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Unprecedented: Women Photographers from the GDR

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Unprecedented: Women Photographers from the GDR

About the Exhibition

In 1949, Germany was divided into two countries: the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). Women who built careers as photographers in the GDR and produced outstanding bodies of work offer perspectives that have often been overlooked in efforts to reassess the history of German photography. From the late 1970s onward—when photography was recognized as an autonomous art form in both Germanys—women photographers increasingly worked across a range of contexts, including state commissions, magazines, and independent projects, and circulated their work widely. This exhibition brings together documentary, street, fashion, portrait, and conceptual photography, reflecting a dual focus on depicting the GDR in all its complexity and exploring the possibilities of the medium. Featuring the work of 15 women photographers—drawn largely from the Sven Herrmann Collection, renowned for its vintage prints, and presented by Stiftung Reinbeckhallen—it highlights artists who were significant in their time and remain influential today. Through their work, viewers encounter nuanced perspectives and assured techniques brought to bear on society and everyday life in a country that no longer exists, and are invited to consider their role in diversifying the GDR’s visual culture.

With works by

Tina Bara (1962–) / Christine Becker (1956–) / Sibylle Bergemann (1941–2010) / Christiane Eisler (1958–) / Margit Emmrich (1949–) / Eva Mahn (1947–) / Ute Mahler (1949–) / Elisabeth Meinke (1937–2006) / Helga Paris (1938–2024) / Evelyn Richter (1930–2021) / Gundula Schulze Eldowy (1954–) / Maria Sewcz (1960–) / Gabriele Stötzer (1953–) / Brigitte Voigt (1934–2025) / Renate Zeun (1946–)

Information

Venue: The Museum of Modern Art, Hayama / Galleries 1, 2, 3a, 4

Period: June 13–August 30, 2026

Closed: Mondays (except July 20)

Opening hours: 9:30–17:00 (last admission at 16:30)

Admissions: Adults: 1,200 yen (1,100 yen)
Under 20 or Students: 1,050 yen (950 yen)
65 and over: 600 yen
High School Students: 100 yen
Junior High School Students and under: Free
* Prices in ( ) indicate group (20 or more persons) discount tickets.
* A person with disabilities and one accompanying caretaker are admitted free of charge upon presenting Disabled Person’s Handbook or an equivalent government-issued identification.
* “Family Communication Day” offers a discount for all group (except those aged 65 and over) accompanying children under 18 on the first Sunday of every month.
* For more information, see Hours & Admission.

Organized by: The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura & Hayama

Cooperated with: Stiftung Reinbeckhallen
Loock Galerie, Berlin
Goethe-Institut Tokyo

Grant from: ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen e.V.

Also on view at Gallery 3b: The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura and Art of the Showa Era
From the Museum Collection

Works

Sibylle Bergemann
Anette and Angela, Lustgarten, Berlin
1982
© Estate Sibylle Bergemann. Courtesy Loock Galerie, Berlin
Margit Emmrich
Frieda D. (74), retiree, widow of a master baker
1975–76/2025
© Margit Emmrich. Courtesy Loock Galerie, Berlin

Also on view

The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura and Art of the Showa Era From the Museum collection

More info

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