90 photos as fashion photographer F.C. Gundlach turns 90
Miriam KaroutJuly 14, 2016
Renowned for his iconic post-war fashion photography, the German F.C. Gundlach also loved to travel around the world with his camera. He's selected 90 of his very best pictures for an exhibition for his 90th birthday.
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10 pictures by legendary fashion photographer F.C. Gundlach
Renowned for his iconic post-war fashion photography, the German F.C. Gundlach also loved to travel around the world with his camera. As he turns 90 on July 16, here are 10 of his personal favorite works.
Image: CFA-Berlin/Esther Haase
Risk-taking ballet in Hamburg
This acrobatic photo, "Pantyhose Ballad," was taken in 1959 in Hamburg's port. Gundlach exceptionally decided to keep the image in color rather than in black-and-white. Gundlach's new exhibition in Berlin, "90 years, 90 photos," features different photos from this series with the dancers, but this one is the only one in color.
Image: CFA-Berlin/F.C. Gundlach
Op art in sunny Greece
This high-contrast Op art photo is one of the photographer's most famous works, taken in Greece in 1966. Model Brigitte Bauer poses in front of a modern building wearing a swimsuit with abstract patterns, her eyes covered by huge futuristic sun glasses. The photo reflects the bold fashion of that period.
Image: CFA-Berlin/F.C. Gundlach
Beauty and horror
F.C. Gundlach took this exceptional picture during the shoot of the German horror movie "Alraune" in 1952. The photo features lead actress Hildgard Knef, who played the mysterious Alraune, a woman who's the product of a scientific experiment. The photo highlights Alraune's arcane beauty.
Image: CFA-Berlin/F.C. Gundlach
Light at the end of the tunnel
Gundlach was working as a photo reporter in 1947, two years after the end of World War II. Reflecting the post-war atmosphere, this photo of a soldier, "Light and shade," shows a ray of hope at the end of a dark tunnel.
Image: CFA-Berlin/F.C. Gundlach
1960s in Paris
"It was as if the city could photograph itself without looking," said Gundlach of Paris. In 1950, the young reporter traveled to France's capital for the first time. One decade later, he returned and created a whole series featuring Karin Mossberg (r.) and Karl Fehrmann. Here they are wearing Pierre Cardin's fashion.
Image: CFA-Berlin/F.C. Gundlach
Trendy polka dots in Berlin
Polka dots were really trendy in the 1960s. This photo shows Mirella dressed in a design by Staebe-Seger in 1964. F.C. Gundlach didn't need to travel very far to capture the spirit of the times for this picture: It was taken in his home town, Berlin.
Image: CFA-Berlin/F.C. Gundlach
Fashion by the pyramids in Egypt
This close-up portrait of Karin Mossberg was created in 1966 in Egypt. Another one of Gundlach's famous Op art works was also shot in front of the pyramids of Giza, called "The Cheops Pyramids," featuring models Karin Mossberg and Micky Zenati.
Image: CFA-Berlin/F.C. Gundlach
Screaming colors
According to Gundlach, Uschi Obermaier was only a good photo model when she was naked - but he's proud of this exceptional spontaneous shot. "I took me a long time to find this photo for the exhibition," Gundlach says. "Those life-sized dolls were on display at a gas station. I told Uschi to sit among them and took a picture," he remembers.
Image: CFA-Berlin/F.C. Gundlach
Mystical and fabulous
This photo series was shot in 1967. It shows Simone D'Aillencourt wearing a golden evening dress made of silk and a chiffon kimono. The fashion series was published in 1957-58 in the German magazine "Film und Frau."
Image: CFA-Berlin/F.C. Gundlach
The photographer as a model
Here, F.C. Gundlach poses for Esther Haase, in a picture recalling his own 1960 work, "Famingo-Man." Born in 1926, Franz Christian Gundlach got his first camera at the age of 10 and became professional in 1946. He turns 90 on July 16, 2016.
Image: CFA-Berlin/Esther Haase
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Gundlach became internationally renowned for his iconic fashion photography from the 1950s to the 70s. His work combines fashion and nature, portraits of famous artists, and exceptional photo reportages, as well as experimental works.
Selfies in the 1930s
Born as Franz Christian Gundlach in Heinebach on July 16, 1926, he developed his interest in photography early on. In 1936, he owned his first camera: an Agfa box with a self-timer.
"I took my first picture when I was 10 years old. In 1936, I got a box with a silver seat. It was the first time that you could take a picture of yourself - just like a selfie!," the photographer said in an interview.
Two years later, in 1938, he set up a darkroom to develop his photos.
However, World War II interrupted his early vocation, as he was drafted into the army and deployed from 1944 on. He was captured by the US army in April 1945.
Back to work after the war
After the war, Gundlach returned to his passion. From 1947 to 1949 he was trained by photographer Rolf W. Nehrdich in Kassel, Germany. He opened his first photo studio with a colleague from school the following year.
Gundlach also worked as an operator in the Hollywood studios in Wiesbaden in 1949. That the same year, he published his first theater and film reportages in magazines, such as "Deutsch Illustrierte," "Quick," "Film-Revue" and "Der Stern."
As of 1953, he began specializing as a fashion photojournalist. He then started to work for the famous magazine "Film und Frau" in Hamburg.
From Romy Schneider to Jean-Luc Godard
Gundlach became famous through his fashion reportages featuring movie stars and artists such as Romy Schneider, Hildegard Knef, Dieter Borsche, and Jean-Luc Godard.
He lived in the Paris for some years, and travelled to the Middle East and throughout South America for other fashion and travel photography projects.
Entrepreneurial spirit
Beyond his work as a photographer, Gundlach was also involved in a series of projects, as a gallery owner, collector, professor, curator and patron of the arts.
He opened his gallery, "Galerie F.C. Gundlach," in 1976. It was one of the first galleries for photography in Germany. Over the following two decades, the artist presented more than 100 exhibitions.
In 1988 he was hired as a professor at the Academy of Arts in Berlin, and four years later he started to work as a curator for galleries and museums in Hamburg, Berlin and internationally.
He founded the "Stiftung F.C. Gundlach" trust in 2000. He was also founding director and artistic director of the House of Photography in Hamburg from 2003 to 2005.
90 years, 90 photos
Now, to celebrate his 90th birthday on July 16, F.C. Gundlach has prepared a special exhibition for the Contemporary Fine Arts Gallery in Berlin.
Compiled by the photographer himself, the exhibition "F.C. Gundlach - 90 years, 90 photos" features his personal favorites from a substantial body of work. The photos cover different fashion eras - from the 1950s in Berlin to high fashion shows in Paris - and explore several continents of the world.
The exhibition is on show until September 10, 2016.