Photography Matters

Photography can amaze us, make us doubt, or make us believe. It’s not just the image that plays a role in our response, but also photography’s materiality.

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  Willi Ruge, Elly Ruge, Detail, um 1947, Silbergelatinepapier koloriert

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  Hermann Lehmann, Diesige Luft, vor 1923, Bromölumdruck

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  Heinz Hajek-Halke, Wolfgang Gruner. Aus dem Programmheft der Berliner Stachelschweine, 1959, Fotocollage: Silbergelatinepapier, Aquarell, Papier

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  Amin El Dib, R 1264/3. Aus der Serie GelatineSilberLichtKarton, 2002/2006, Silbergelatinepapier

Whether reproduced on glass, paper or a digital screen, each manifestation of the medium guides our perception. Digital processes and the use of artificial intelligence increasingly question the object nature of photography.

What makes a photograph special? What is it made of? In its Photography Collection, the Kunstbibliothek (Art Library) preserves a wide range of the most diverse photo objects, whose stories and reception histories are in constant flux. Starting with a material history of photography, the exhibition addresses aspects of techniques, collective memory and knowledge culture, covering the history of the medium from its beginnings to the present day.

A special exhibition of the Kunstbibliothek – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Runtime: Fri, 04/12/2026 to Sun, 18/04/2027

Takes place here:

• Museum für Fotografie - Helmut Newton Stiftung