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| Artist Intro |
"Unseen Works" |
| Artist name / Photographer |
Wolfgang Suschitzky
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"I take pictures of whatever attracts my eye, that is the essence of photography, you are tempted by views of other life"
Wolfgang Suschitzky
Wolfgang Suschitzky's long and distinguished career as photographer and film cameraman has resulted in many published photographs and his addition into the major photographic collections of The National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Yet it seems that after nearly 70 years of taking photographs the majority of Wolfgang's work remains one of our most hidden treasures.
In the Gallery's latest exhibition, our aim is to re-establish Wolfgang's archive in a show that's suitably titled, 'Unseen Works'. Alongside familiar prints of Charing Cross and children in the East End of London, are some new images (I say new, though most date from the late 1930's and early 1940's). To select images for a show from someone of Wolfgang's calibre is incredibly difficult. There are endless reasons for choosing all of his prints. This show will include aspects from every corner of the photographers' travels including his London series as well as portraits, animal pictures, travel and documentary work.
Wolfgang Suschitzky, born in Austria and whose father was a prominent socialist, found a love for photography, seeing it as a profession of freedom that could be followed in any country irrespective of the language spoken. He studied in Vienna under the tuition of Rudolf Koppitz in the early 1930's but soon left his homeland as the grip of Fascism set in. In 1935 Wolfgang came to England and worked as a photojournalist. In 1937 he met Paul Rotha, the film producer and was soon engaged in a series of documentary films.
In between film work Wolfgang was employed as a photojournalist for Illustrated and also sold stories to Picture Post. It was during this time that Wolfgang began creating his own huge archive of personal projects, including The Charing Cross Road series which shows the insular, intellectual atmosphere of streets filled with bookshops and tea houses. This series, though now over 60 years old, remains a favourite with collectors for its memories of a society long gone.
Wolfgang's speciality was children and animals. On his coming to London his first project for Illustrated was photographing babies and toddlers and one of his first film projects was a series about zoos. His photographs of animals are taken like head and shoulder portraits and are extremely captivating. As are his photographs of children, which include images of street urchins, not unlike those by Bert Hardy who was working for the rival magazine, Picture Post at this time.
With the career of cameraman, Wolfgang had the good fortune to travel extensively and to meet many prominent people. He worked on a series for NBC in New York called the 'Wisdom' series where he filmed interviews with Ben-Gurion, Nehru and the Irish Prime Minister, De Valera. Between takes Wolfgang took his own still photographs of these people.
He did the same when working on feature films, including 'Get Carter' and the spoof horror 'Theatre of Blood'.
A central theme in Wolfgang's work is the fight for justice. The exhibition includes photographs of peace rallies including a CND rally in Trafalgar Square, 1962 with the philosopher, Bertrand Russell attending as well as showing a sea of demonstrators swamping the Trafalgar Square lions. Further from home, images of Sardinia and a woman waiting for a ferry in order to bring home a dead loved one and of street children in Kenya are full of emotion and send a clear message to the viewer of the tragedy of war and poverty.
Signed , original photographs by Wolfgang Suschitzky are available for sale from the Gallery. Prices start at £400 for modern and £600 for vintage prints. |
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