The GRASSI Museum for Applied Arts in Leipzig is presenting an extraordinary photography exhibition featuring around 50 black-and-white photographs by renowned German photographers Ute Eskildsen and Timm Rautert. The exhibition, titled 'LEIPZIG 1972,' will run from August 9 through November 30, 2025, showcasing images that remained unpublished for over five decades.
The photographs were taken in 1972 when both photographers visited Leipzig and documented daily life in the city. Eskildsen and Rautert, who first met while studying at the Folkwang School of Design in Essen, are now considered influential figures in German photography. Eskildsen built up the photographic collection at the Museum Folkwang and led it to international recognition, while Rautert became a professor of photography at the Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig.
The project began in 1972 when the two young photographers decided to photograph Leipzig together during a family visit, with hopes of eventually publishing the series as an exhibition and book. For Eskildsen, this marked her first visit to the German Democratic Republic. Rautert, whose mother was from Leipzig, had visited the city frequently as a child to see his mother's siblings and had grown to love the city.
During a week in autumn 1972, the photographers created a highly subjective and quiet portrait of Leipzig, focusing on everyday situations of people in their surroundings through their silent black-and-white images. Upon their return, they developed the film and were satisfied with the initial enlargements. However, the project was shelved and eventually forgotten until now.
The exhibition will be displayed in the GRASSI Himmel section of the museum, with free admission for all visitors. A comprehensive catalog accompanies the exhibition, published by Steidl Verlag. The 144-page bilingual publication (German/English) is available for 85 euros and represents a unique historical document of analog photography.
The exhibition opening will take place on Saturday, August 9, 2025, at 4:00 PM. A special artist talk featuring both photographers in conversation with Professor Dr. Steffen Siegel from Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen is scheduled for Sunday, September 14, 2025, at 4:00 PM.
The GRASSI Museum for Applied Arts is located at Johannisplatz 5-11, 04103 Leipzig. The museum is open Tuesday, Thursday through Sunday, and holidays from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with extended hours on Wednesdays until 8:00 PM. The museum is closed on Mondays. Admission to the exhibition is free of charge.
This long-awaited presentation finally brings to light a remarkable photographic collaboration that captures a unique moment in Leipzig's history, offering visitors an intimate glimpse into daily life in the East German city during the early 1970s.
