Workshop | Photography Writes Art History(ies)
Key data
- Time of day2:00 until 8:00 PM
- Target groupAdults
- RegistrationFree of charge | Accreditation from 1:30 PM on a first come, first served basis | Limited capacity | No registration required
Description
Photography Writes Art History(ies)
A collaboration with Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
With the donation of the Eva Felten Photography Collection in 2023, Museum Brandhorst expanded its holdings by 436 photographic works created by more than 140 artists, spanning from the 1930s to the immediate present. This acquisition integrates key positions of a predominantly Western photographic canon into the existing collection, strengthening artistic focal points while challenging established art-historical interpretations.
The photographs do not form a separate or subordinate corpus; rather, they have been integrated as equal artworks into the cross-media holdings of the Udo and Anette Brandhorst Collection. In the new presentations on view since October 2025, “Long Story Short” and “Confrontations,” works from the Eva Felten Photography Collection are exhibited alongside other artistic genres. Structured thematically and by decade, the exhibition presents a history of art that demonstrates how diverse artistic positions and media shape our understanding of art.
- What potential emerges from bringing together art and photographic history(ies)?
- Which thematic continuities and ruptures arise from a presentation involving different media?
- How do perspectives on the history of photography and art differ within the contexts of the museum, mediation, and research?
These questions form the starting point for shared reflection. We will discuss the present and future of photographic history(ies) in art museums. Institutional frameworks, curatorial decisions, and funding logics all play a decisive role in determining which works, themes, and artists are exhibited. At a time when canonical narratives are being questioned and alternative perspectives explored, the issue of art-historical storytelling arises on both a methodological and political level.
PROGRAM
2:00 pm | Foyer
Welcome, introduction, and guided tour through the exhibitions
“Long Story Short” and “Confrontations” with Monika Bayer-Wermuth and Lena Tilk, both Museum Brandhorst, Munich
3:00 pm | Lounge
Panel I: Today – Photographic History(ies) in Art Museums
Helene Roth and Sophie Junge, both Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Franziska Kunze, Bavarian State Painting Collections, Munich
Eva Felten, Collector
4:15 pm
Coffee break
4:45 pm | Lounge
Panel II: Tomorrow – The Future of Photography in Museums and Collections
Cornelia Siebert, Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation, Frankfurt am Main
Marjen Schmidt, Graduate Photo Engineer, Photo Conservator
Thomas Zander, Galerie Thomas Zander, Cologne
6:00 pm
Break
