spectrum Photogalerie (Hg.): Hein Gorny – Illustrationsphotographie 1928–1940 (Ausstellungskatalog, Hannover, 7. April–14. Mai 1972), Hannover 1972.
At the beginning of 1972, Joachim Giesel, Peter Gauditz and Heinrich Riebesehl stood in front of the estate containing 40,000 negatives of the photographer Hein Gorny, who died in Hanover in 1967. He was one of the formative artists of the New Objectivity movement and was associated with Albert Renger-Patzsch, Kurt Schwitters and Hugo Erfurth. His professional work for companies such as Bahlsen and Pelikan as well as the publication of numerous illustrated books aroused the interest of the gallery owners, who presented Gorny in the catalog as a “pioneer of modern advertising photography”. They dedicated the opening exhibition of the spectrum Photogalerie to him and honored his oeuvre with his first ever solo exhibition. The initiators have chosen a representative selection from his extensive estate for Hein Gorny – Illustration Photography 1928-1940. This includes 31 works with object, fashion, advertising and animal photographs as well as travel illustrations. Riebesehl and Giesel produced high-quality prints of the exhibits, which were later also on display at the Landesbildstelle Hamburg. One of these prints, the photograph Untitled (collars) from 1928, is still in Giesel’s possession today. The elaborate work for the exhibition not only laid the foundation for many years of successful exhibition practice. By processing and managing the estate, the spectrum Photogalerie founders are also making a fundamental contribution to the preservation and remembrance of Gorny’s work.
Mathilde Blum
