The Photographic Collection /SK Stiftung Kultur, based in Cologne’s Mediapark since 1996, is devoted to objective documentary photography in the artistic context. With the August Sander Archive and comprehensive bundles comprising works by Bernd and Hilla Becher, two internationally renowned positions are represented in the collection which have decisively shaped this movement both aesthetically and formally. Based on these inventories, Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur realizes alternating exhibition projects and publications of both historical and contemporary provenance. The collection is built up and scientifically curated in step with the devising of the exhibition programme. The collection represents names such as Boris Becker, Karl Blossfeldt, Joachim Brohm, William Christenberry, Paul Dobe, William Guerrieri, Ruth Hallensleben, Candida Höfer, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Andrea Robbins/Max Becher, Judith Joy Ross, Martin Rosswog, Wilhelm Schürmann, Petra Wittmar.
Photographic Collection /SK Stiftung Kultur
Im Mediapark 7
50670 Cologne
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Archives & Collections
Photography has a rich and varied history in the Cologne area. This is evidenced by the numerous photo collections in art museums and photographic archives, ranging from classical picture archives to private and corporate archives. In the Artist Meets Archive programme, the hidden treasures within these institutions are revived.
The collaboration between the archives and participating artists results in exhibition projects that are presented as part of the Photoszene Festival. Here, the archive becomes the site of an artistic debate and focuses on local photographic history as well as casting a global perspective on the medium of photography.