Aesthetic nude photography from 50 years
This legendary exhibition now spans over five decades of poetic nude photography. Klaus Ender spent ten years campaigning for the first nude exhibition in the former GDR. It became a reality in Potsdam in 1975. He was able to win over his photographer friend Gerd Rattei as a partner. The overwhelming success brought about a cultural and political turnaround for the nude genre.
Klaus Ender is known to most people through his numerous publications in "Das Magazin" and "Eulenspiegel". In 1963, the aesthete began photographing nudes and as early as 1965 he published his first pictures in "Das Magazin", for which he worked for ten years. In 1966, the self-taught photographer received a license to work as a freelance journalist on the basis of his photographic achievements. In 1979, the International Federation of Art Photography (FIAP) awarded him the international honorary title of ARTISTE FIAP (AFIAP). In 1982, the Ministry of Education and the Arts in Vienna classified him as a "visual artist of photography".
For Klaus Ender, nude photography was inextricably linked with aesthetics. Eroticism was not in the foreground, he avoided exposed nudity. The natural sensuality and informality, beyond any pose, exert a special attraction on the viewer. Beauty and aesthetics were his maxims. He remained true to these inner, humanistic demands - contrary to the spirit of the times. "The fascination of the body begins beyond desire," he wrote in an aphorism. It is precisely this fascination with the human body, especially the female body, that is reflected in his nudes. What mattered to him was the naturalness and harmony between the nude and its surroundings.
He gave nudity a natural glow. His special eye for dignified beauty makes his pictures unmistakable. Often appearing like a snapshot, they are nevertheless timeless. In over 50 years, he has created unique works with high artistic standards. Today, Klaus Ender is one of the most important German nude photographers.
Around 160 pictures are presented in classic black and white. Klaus Ender's books and other publications will be available throughout the exhibition, including the "Nude & Landscape" calendar for 2025 - an anniversary edition containing only photographs from the first show, as well as the illustrated book "Klaus Ender - Nude Photography II", published by Bild und Heimat in 2023.
