The Kunsthalle Erfurt has opened a comprehensive exhibition titled "Dirk Reinartz. Photographing What Is," showcasing the influential work of one of Germany's most significant photojournalists. The exhibition, which opened on Sunday, September 7, 2025, presents an extensive collection of Reinartz's photographs that examine German identity, East-West German relationships, and the complexities of unified German society.
Dirk Reinartz, born in Aachen in 1947 and deceased in Berlin in 2004, was a defining figure in German photojournalism. His career included working as an international photo reporter for Stern magazine, where he was notably the youngest photographer on staff at the time. Throughout his career, Reinartz developed his own projects and published photobooks that deeply engaged with questions of German identity, making German history and society central themes of his artistic work.
The exhibition spans multiple floors of the Kunsthalle Erfurt, with photographs displayed throughout every level and extending into the building's most intimate spaces. One striking image from Reinartz's series "What is Beauty?" captures a couple in a convertible car, both casually smoking cigarettes - he wearing sunglasses, she holding a small dog on her lap. This photograph, taken from a Hamburg curb in 1971, exemplifies the photographer's ability to capture moments that reveal deeper social truths.
The exhibition features photographs of working people from both parts of divided Germany, including bus drivers, nurses, functionaries, and hairdressers, as well as images of migrants moving between East and West. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Reinartz photographed high school students in both Hagen and Wittenberg, documenting the experiences of young Germans in the newly unified country. Among his most powerful works are photographs from former German concentration camps, presented under the title "deathly quiet," which confront viewers with the haunting remnants of Germany's darkest historical period.
Beyond his German subjects, the Erfurt exhibition also displays Reinartz's international work, including images from Lake Baikal, the Irish civil war, 1970s New York, and his travels through rural America. These colorful snapshots, reminiscent of images that flood smartphones today but created through analog photography and careful selection, demonstrate the photographer's global perspective and artistic vision. The exhibition also features slide presentations, which curator Susanne Knorr notes will be particularly interesting for younger generations who may be unfamiliar with this photographic medium.
Knorr describes Reinartz as having been deeply committed to people, categorizing his work within the tradition of humanistic documentary photography. This approach is characterized by photographers who focus on social problems while maintaining an empathetic stance toward their subjects. "This is something that distinguishes him and his photography," Knorr explains, emphasizing Reinartz's unique ability to document social issues with compassion and understanding.
The exhibition aims to reach audiences beyond photography enthusiasts, welcoming visitors interested in cultural history and those seeking to understand how historical events continue to shape contemporary society. As Knorr notes, "Ultimately, perhaps also an interest in what history was and what history brings" helps visitors better understand the present moment. The comprehensive display offers an impressive insight into the work of this major German photographer while providing historical context that remains relevant today.
The exhibition "Dirk Reinartz. Photographing What Is" runs through November 15, 2025, at the Kunsthalle Erfurt, located at Fischmarkt 7 in Erfurt. The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 AM to 6 PM, with extended hours on Thursdays until 10 PM, and remains closed on Mondays. Admission is 6 euros for adults and 4 euros for reduced-price tickets, making this significant cultural offering accessible to a broad public interested in photography, German history, and contemporary art.
