Out of the Box

“OUT OF THE BOX” features Gisèle Freund’s multiple facets. A pioneer of the 35mm camera, scholar, and journalist, Freund made a name for herself, in particular with her color portraits; to date, the versatility and joy in experimentation of her early photographs has received little attention. As a writer, she was a critical witness of her time: the exhibition pays special attention to Freund as a political observer who commented on current events in both text and image. It also explores the international network of women—among them Adrienne Monnier, Victoria Ocampo, and Frida Kahlo—who made Freund’s survival in exile possible. 

To accompany the exhibition, Steidl Verlag will publish a catalogue in German and English.

With her portraits of numerous figures from literature, art, and politics, Gisèle Freund (1908–2000), Jewish photographer born in Berlin’s Schöneberg district, helped shape twentieth-century photography. She was not only a brilliant photographer but also an astute social thinker who questioned the power of images. Her career as a photographer and social critic began in Frankfurt, where she studied sociology under Karl Mannheim while attending seminars at the Institute for Social Research led by Max Horkheimer. As a member of the “Red Student Group,” she documented demonstrations by socialist and communist organizations before fleeing to Paris in 1933 to escape imprisonment. Her dissertation, published in 1936, pioneered the study of modern visual culture; she voiced particular criticism for the medium’s veneer of objectivity.

Freund is best known for her color portrait photographs, in which she challenged the rigid conventions that had been used for centuries in social posing. Freund developed her own personal style of portraiture and often captured her subjects in natural, contemplative, or apparently vulnerable moments. After France was occupied, the Jewish photographer fled in 1941 to Latin America, where she worked for Time, Life, and other prestigious publications before returning to Paris in 1953. She died in Paris on March 31, 2000, and was buried in Montparnasse Cemetery.