The Grassi Museum for Applied Arts in Leipzig has officially opened its new exhibition space called "Grassi-Himmel" (Grassi Sky) with the inaugural show "Leipzig 1972," featuring approximately 50 historic black-and-white photographs of the city during the East German era. The photographs, taken by Ute Eskildsen and Timm Rautert, offer a unique glimpse into daily life in the socialist metropolis over five decades ago.

The photographic series was created when Eskildsen and Rautert, both young graduates of the Folkwang School of Design in Essen, West Germany, traveled to East Germany in 1972 to visit relatives. Rautert, born in 1941, had known the city since childhood and wanted to show Eskildsen the place where his family lived. Together, they spent a week walking through Leipzig with their cameras, capturing the atmosphere and mood of the DDR metropolis in quiet, contemplative black-and-white images that show people in everyday situations within their urban environment.

According to Olaf Thormann, director of the Grassi Museum, the photographic work represents "true teamwork" between the two artists, with neither photographer able to recall today who took which specific image. The original plans to publish the photo series in a book were never realized at the time, and the images themselves were forgotten by their creators. The negatives were only rediscovered recently when Rautert was organizing his personal archive, bringing these remarkable historical documents back to light after more than 50 years.

Both photographers went on to achieve significant recognition in their fields. Rautert worked internationally as a photojournalist after his studies and later served as a professor of photography at the Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig from 1993 to 2008, while also creating portraits of renowned artists ranging from Andy Warhol to Neo Rauch. Eskildsen built and directed the photography department at the Folkwang Museum until 2012, also serving as deputy director and curator of the institution.

The exhibition showcases how the two young photographers captured the "juxtaposition of modernity and crumbling building fabric" with a particular eye for "the peculiar silence of even bustling places." Thormann notes that the "observational sharpness and melancholy" of the images comes into particular focus now, 35 years after the end of the DDR. The photographs document both the modern aspects of Leipzig and the quiet decay visible throughout the socialist metropolis during that period.

The museum is actively working to acquire the complete photographic series for its permanent collection. "This series naturally belongs in Leipzig," Thormann explained. "We are working to acquire it and hope that we can truly preserve it for Leipzig." A photo book accompanying the exhibition has also been published, featuring the rediscovered images that capture this unique moment in the city's history.

The new Grassi-Himmel exhibition space, located on the third floor of the building, also features another artistic debut. Coinciding with the photography exhibition opening, the museum has unveiled "Open City," a walkable sculpture by Leipzig artist Thomas Moecker. The installation consists of a white staircase made from concrete blocks in the style of Brutalism, which visitors can climb to reach a window offering views over the city that looks dramatically different today than it did in the photographs taken by Rautert and Eskildsen more than 50 years ago.

The "Leipzig 1972" exhibition runs from August 9 through November 30, 2025, at the Grassi Museum for Applied Arts, located at Johannisplatz 5-11 in Leipzig. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM, with extended hours until 8 PM on Wednesdays, and is closed on Mondays. Admission to the exhibition is free, though visitors should note that the exhibition space is only accessible via stairs and does not offer accommodations for visitors with visual impairments.