Joshua P. Smith Collection of East German Underground Art and Photography

The collection was assembled by American collector Joshua P. Smith and documents artistic production in East Germany from 1943-2000, with a particular focus on underground art under Communist rule in the former German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik, or DDR). The collection includes photographs, works on paper, prints, and posters.

Artists in the collection were part of networks in East Berlin, Leipzig, Karl-Marx-Stadt (now Chemnitz), and Dresden. They navigated the cultural-policy restrictions and repression of the GDR by bypassing official structures or working within them. The collection both documents art production in East Germany and provides a visual narrative of life during the GDR era.

The collection is organized into two series:

Series I. Photographs, 1943-1991, is comprised of 174 photographic prints by photographers Ursula Arnold, Claus Bach in collaboration with Thomas Günther and Sabine Jahn, Sibylle Bergemann, Christian Borchert, Kurt Buchwald, Stefan Exler, Arno Fischer, Thomas Florschuetz, Harald Hauswald, Frank Herrmann, York der Knöfel, Gabriele and Helmut Nothhelfer, Richard Peter, and Gundula Schulze Eldowy.

Photographers Ursula Arnold, Christian Borchert, Sibylle Bergemann, Arno Fischer, Gabriele and Helmut Nothhelfer, and Richard Peter were chroniclers of East Germany in the wake of World War II and under Communism after the establishment of the GDR. Two images document Germany during the war and immediately after. A photograph by Arno Fischer, dated 1943, pictures Berlin after an air raid. An image by Richard Peter dated 1946 documents the destruction of the Vitzthum school in Dresden. Notable bodies of work from this period include Arno Fischer’s series Situation Berlin (1953-1960), Sybille Bergemann’s portraits and fashion photography (1972-1988), and images by Gabriele and Helmut Nothhelfer (1970-1976, 1989).

The generation of photographers born after the establishment of the GDR took on new approaches to documentary photography through their choice of subject matter and adoption of radical perspectives. Gundula Schulze Eldowy documented life on the margins in her series Berlin. In einer Hundenacht (Berlin: in a Dog’s Night) (1977-1989) and Aktportraits (Nude Portraits) (1983-1986). In his series Aus Schlachthaus Berlin (Berlin Slaughterhouse), 1986-1988, York Der Knöfel photographed workers in a state-run slaughterhouse. Harald Hauswald’s images in the collection captured punk subculture and an official socialist parade in Dresden.

Photographers active during this period also turned to formal, conceptual, and performative approaches to photography. Works in the collection include Kurt Buchwald’s series Unscharfe Porträts (1986-1988), Berlin; Thomas Florschuetz’s Körperbilder (Body Portraits)—fragmentary images of his body, as well as portraits of his friends (1984-1987); and Frank Herrmann’s series Strandgut (1987). The collaborative multi-media work Claus Bach, Thomas Günther, and Sabine Jahn is also present in the collection.

The photographs range in size from 13 x 18 cm to 60.5 x 80.5 cm.

Series II. Works on Paper and Prints, 1972-2000, includes 28 works by artists Michael Diller, Holger Fickelscherer, Rainer Görß, Eberhard Göschel, Thomas Günther, Sabine Jahn, Peter Moors, Michael Morgner, Thomas Ranft, Wolfram Aldalbert Scheffler, Peter Schmidt, and Max Uhlig.

Michael Morgner, Thomas Ranft, Wolfram Adalbert Scheffler, and Max Uhlig were active in the alternative art scene in Karl-Marx-Stadt (today Chemnitz). Thomas Ranft is represented in the collection with a group of six etchings (1973-1983), Wolfram Adalbert Scheffler with a large ink (or charcoal) drawing (1985), Max Ulhig with a large drawing (1976) from his Landschaft series, and Michael Morgner with an aquatint (1983) and mixed media work on paper (1990).

Rainer Görß was part of the alternative art scene in Leipzig and a member of the Autoperforationsartisten (Auto Perforation artist group). He is represented in the collection with four screen print posters (1989-1990), including one that promoted the exhibition Genetische Skulpturen at Eigen+Art gallery in Leipzig in 1990.

Other works in the collection include an intaglio print (1986) by Eberhard Göschel, cofounder of the printing workshop Obergrabenpresse in Dresden; two prints by Holger Fickelscherer (1989-1990); and several exhibition announcements by collaborators Sabine Jahn and Thomas Günther.

The artworks range in size from 29.5 x 20.5 cm to 73.5 x 102.5 cm.