“In the Beginning: Anselm Kiefer & Photography” is a luminous exploration penned by Jean de Loisy, Sébastien Delot, Heiner Bastian, and Christian Weikop, delving into the arcane layers of Anselm Kiefer’s artistic practice.

Published by Thames & Hudson on February 29, 2024, this book is an informative guide to Kiefer’s profound engagement with photography alongside his monumental paintings and installations, thus enriching our comprehension of his multifaceted oeuvre.

Born in the aftermath of World War II in Donaueschingen, Germany, Kiefer emerges as a pivotal figure wrestling with the intricacies of his nation’s post-war identity. His work, intricately woven with cultural, literary, and philosophical threads, resonates with echoes of ancient texts, mystical ideologies, and the poignant verses of literary giants. Through an alchemy of art and literature, Kiefer transcends the realm of representation, plumbing the depths of history and the primal myths of human existence.

Central to Kiefer’s artistic odyssey is his exploration of photography, a facet often eclipsed by his more conspicuous endeavours. Within the pages of this groundbreaking book, readers are presented with over 130 works, each unveiling Kiefer’s profound symbiosis with photography and its pivotal role in shaping his artistic vision. From manipulated photographs to intricate collages, Kiefer’s manipulation of images is a testament to his relentless quest to unearth the essence of memory, myth, and spirituality.

Heiner Bastian, Sébastien Delot, Jean de Loisy, and Christian Weikop, esteemed scholars and custodians of art, offer invaluable insights into Kiefer’s artistic evolution. Through meticulous scholarship, curatorial expertise, and profound understanding, these luminaries unravel the intricate layers of Kiefer’s photographic explorations, guiding readers on a transcendent journey through the corridors of memory, myth, and meaning.

“In the Beginning” celebrates Anselm Kiefer’s towering legacy, cementing his place as one of the preeminent artists of our time. With its astute research and new visual documentation, this seminal work invites readers to embark on an enlightening journey where the boundaries between past and present blur, and the deep resonance of Kiefer’s artistry reverberates.

PCR Artlyst 2024

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Anselm Kiefer & Photography, In the Beginning, Thames & Hudson

INT: What were the first few days with the camera like Alex?

AC: Well, I guess it was around Christmas time. I don’t like to read instruction manuals, I’m not that kind of person. So the first moments with it, just going shot-to-shot were super organic, and I figured out how different settings can mediate reality differently.

INT: So at what point did you realise you were particularly drawn to photographing Michael? What made him a good muse?

AC: Well he was there, firstly. He handed me my camera which I immediately turned around and pointed at him. But I also instantly noticed how, when I pointed the camera at Michael, there was no, like, changing of behaviour on his part, he seemed a little bit unflappable. Not feeling the need to smile.

INT: Michael, how did you feel in front of the camera? Did it take some getting used to or is it something that came naturally to you?

MN: Um, I don’t remember ever having a time when I resisted having my photo taken. There have been like maybe one or two moments that I can remember where I would specially tell Alex, ‘Don’t take a fucking picture of me right now’.

AC: But I do have those pictures.

MN: I think it felt pretty easeful from the beginning. He’s not going to ask me to do anything differently, every once in a while maybe like a slight adjustment. But I think really Alex is more interested in capturing whatever essence you’re experiencing in that moment. Maybe you remember differently Alex but I remember from the beginning I was pretty available to be looked at.

AC: Well you were making theatre, making performance – so, of course.

MN: When Alex started Brothers and Others, started photographing my family, he would bring out his camera around family events, and for a lot of them it was really difficult to avoid, you know, putting on a face. Alex takes very confronting, oftentimes, objectively, demeaning images of parents yelling at kids, or parents on iPhones or people drunk, things where it’s not the most flattering. But that’s exactly what’s happening.

AC: I think you were a good example in showing them that it’s best to not do anything. It’s much more simple than you think, just don’t change your behaviour.

The man who fatally shot photographer Tyler Gerth during a protest following the death of Breonna Taylor has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Earlier this year, Steven Lopez pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and 22 counts of wanton endangerment for the shooting that killed 27-year-old photographer and activist Gerth.

On Tuesday, a judge sentenced Lopez to 30 years in prison following the prosecution’s recommendation.

Gerth was killed by Lopez as protestors gathered in Jefferson Square Park in downtown Louisville, Kentucky during the height of protests in the wake of Taylor’s shooting on June 27, 2020.

When Louisville Metro Police officers arrived at the scene around 21:00, they found Gerth in the middle of the park and the photographer was pronounced dead on the scene.

Video surveillance footage and several witnesses identified Lopez as the shooter who fired into a crowd.

According to WHAS11 News, Lopez spoke during the hearing and apologized for the shooting. He told Gerth’s family that it should have never happened.

“I cannot find enough words to convey how sorry I am,” Lopez says.

“To say how remorseful I am. Truly from the bottom of my heart, I am sorry,”

Lopez said he was convinced that he was about to die. He said he was “being bullied at the rally” but the prosecution disagreed with that statement.

During the hearing, Lopez said he hopes to turn his life around and live up to the man that Gerth was.

On his Instagram page, Gerth had described himself as a world-traveling photographer who captured beauty as he journeyed through life.

In the weeks before his death, Gerth turned his attention from capturing the world’s beauty to using his camera to document the movement against racism and police brutality. Gerth had been at Louisville’s Jefferson Square Park to document the protests.

“While nothing will ever bring Tyler back and we will never truly have justice for him being taken from us, it’s an important step for Mr. Lopez to take responsibility for his actions and plead guilty to his crimes,” Gerth’s family said in a statement.

“We remain focused on carrying on Tyler’s memory through the works of Building Equal Bridges, the Tyler Gerth Foundation, by continuing in his legacy of compassion and generosity.”

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Washington, DC

Through photographs from a 1946 survey, the National Archives is highlighting the diverse lives of coal miners and their families in Power & Light: Russell Lee’s Coal Survey, a new exhibit opening on March 16, 2024. The exhibit, which shares more than 200 photographs of renowned documentary photographer Russell Lee, is free and open to the public at the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, through July 6, 2025.

“Power & Light serves as an example of how records can impact the lives of Americans,” said Archivist of the United States Dr. Colleen Shogan. “These valuable photographs held by the National Archives helped change the narrative around the coal strikes at the time. Today, they provide us a glimpse into the rich history of coal communities across the country.”

Following the 1946 labor strikes that had been held across the United States, photographer Russell Lee gained unprecedented access to remote coal communities. As part of a survey conducted by the federal government, he documented miners in 13 states. Lee recorded detailed captions with his wife Jean, which are presented without edits in this exhibit alongside the images they describe. This 3,000-square-foot exhibit calls attention to spaces that were typically inaccessible to outsiders.

Visitors will be able to:

• View a handwritten note from President Truman regarding the coal strike
• Interact with a map displaying survey photographs from various states
• View the final survey report from 1947
• Learn about the company-dependent home lives and conditions of workers
• View protest notes on coal bags sent by citizens to President Truman

Lee’s photographs served as visual evidence of the miners’ plight and helped build support for the workers whose strikes had alienated many Americans. The images tell the story of laborers who helped build the nation, of a moment when the government took stock of their health and safety, and of a photographer who recognized their humanity. 

The survey’s digitized images can be found in the National Archives’ online Catalog and photographs from the exhibit on Flickr. Follow the conversation online using the hashtag #ArchivesPowerAndLight. 

The National Archives Building is located near the National Mall on Constitution Ave. at 9th Street, NW, in Washington, DC. The exhibit galleries are open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily, except Thanksgiving and Christmas.

For media inquiries, please contact the National Archives Public and Media Communications Office at 202-357-5300 or public.affairs@nara.gov.

Power & Light: Russell Lee’s Coal Survey is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation through the generous support of The Mars Family & Mars, Incorporated and Anonymous.

About the National Archives

The National Archives and Records Administration is the nation’s record keeper. It safeguards and manages the official records of the U.S. Government, ensuring the documentation of our nation’s history. For more information, visit www.archives.gov.

About the National Archives Foundation

The National Archives Foundation is an independent nonprofit that increases public awareness of the National Archives, inspires a deeper appreciation of our country’s heritage, and encourages citizen engagement in our democracy. Learn more at www.archivesfoundation.org.

Being a news photographer can be incredibly stressful: tight deadlines, grisly murder scenes, and grieving families can take its toll.

One ex-press photographer who used to cover New York during the city’s violent period in the 1990s has channeled his experience into a one-man show entitled If it Bleeds it Leads.

Sean Allison is performing at the Park Theater in Hudson, New York where he reflects on his time covering New York during a period when someone was killed every few hours.

”I didn’t realize how much psychological and emotional trauma the violence had actually done to me,” Allison tells CBS 6.

During his time documenting crime, Allison would attend “four or five” violent crime scenes per night even witnessing a horrific death.

“We’re sitting there and I hear ‘pop pop pop’ and I say, ‘Those are gunshots’,” Allison tells CBS 6. “A guy got into an argument with somebody at a strip club and on his way out the door somebody shot him in the head and I got there before the ambulance was there so I have seen a lot, up close and personal.”

He left the profession after a year and a half but was later diagnosed with a form of PTSD known as a moral injury — something that is usually experienced by war veterans.

“I’d be watching TV with my girlfriend at the time, and I would have very emotional reactions to depicted violence, especially if it was similar to something I had seen and I would become uncontrollable, so I realized there’s something here I need to look into,” Allison tells CBS 6.

After attending therapy, he felt the strength to put on the show to exorcise the things he experienced as a photographer 30 years ago as a way of “processing the trauma.”

The title, If it Bleeds it Leads, is a macabre saying in the news industry referencing how violent incidents often dominate the headlines and airwaves.

“People have been conditioned to what they think violence is, which is that you get shot in the leg and can still run around and save the day,” he tells Times Union.

“I’ve seen people who have bullets in their leg and can tell you for one thing — they die. And for the other thing, the only thing they’re thinking about is getting that bullet out of their leg.”

If it Bleeds it Leads is showing at Park Theater in Hudson on Sunday (Feb 18). Limited tickets here.

Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.

Whether you’re loved, lovelorn, lovely or loveless, here are a selection of longing-filled, sex-saturated photo books for Valentine’s Day

A “hyper-vigilant” photographer was robbed of $16,000 worth of camera gear right under his nose.

In a video published a fortnight ago, well-known portrait photographer and YouTuber Manny Ortiz recounted how he had thousands of dollars worth of camera kit stolen from him while on a train from Rome to Venice in Italy.

Ortiz says that he never thought he could ever be a victim of a robbery as he is “a hyper-vigilant person” who is “hyper-aware” of his surroundings.

The photographer even has “law enforcement experience” — having previously worked as a police officer.

Ortiz says he was on a content trip in Italy and took all of his favorite gear to film the sponsored videos in his carry-on bag.

This included a Sony FX3 camera, a Sony ZV-E1, GoPro cameras, a plethora of lenses, and over $2,000 of new Peter Mckinnon filters.

Ortiz says he was sitting on the train with this carry-on bag of camera kit right next to him in the luggage store. The photographer explains that he was editing on his laptop but he was always paying attention to what was going on around him.

During the journey, a bearded man arrived on a train and sat two seats ahead of him of Ortiz. However, the man kept looking around a lot — particularly at Ortiz.

On his travels to Italy, the photographer recalled that strangers do tend to stare more at people than in the U.S. The photographer figured that staring was considered culturally less rude there.

However, Ortiz said he continued to be perturbed by the passenger during the train journey.

Eventually, the bearded man got off the train. But he then went and stood right outside of Ortiz’s window.

The bearded man talking to someone on the phone on the train platform but kept looking at Ortiz.

As the train was about to depart for the next stop, Ortiz noticed that the bearded man wasn’t coming back to the carriage, which was strange.

The train eventually took off. But, it was then that Ortiz looked to his right and realized that his carry-on bag full of expensive camera kit was nowhere to be seen.

‘I Didn’t Think Something Like This Would Ever Happen to Me’

Ortiz understandably “freaked out.” He says he checked the whole train on the advice of the staff onboard. However, the photographer couldn’t find his carry-on bag anywhere and knew that it had been stolen.

Ortiz reported the robbery to the Italian police. However, the authorities were not able to get any train surveillance camera footage of the theft so Ortiz never discovered exactly how his camera gear had been stolen.

Fortunately, the photographer was able to recover most of his kit with his insurance when he returned to the U.S.

But he says he had no camera equipment to shoot the sponsored videos in Italy. Instead, he had to rely on his smartphone camera on the trip.

“Without that insurance, I would have been SOL [sh*t out of luck],” Ortiz says of the incident.

“And I have that mentality that something like this is probably not going to happen to me. I’m just way too vigilant, I’m way too careful.”

Ortiz speculates that the bearded man was working with a partner on the train and they worked together to rob the carry-on bag from right under his eyes.

The photographer believes that the robbery must have happened in a matter of seconds.

Ortiz hopes that sharing his experience will encourage other photographers to not be as “naive” as he was. Ortiz warned that this could happen to anyone and advised other photographers to never skimp on camera insurance.

Retro-photography apps that mimic the appearance of analog film formats make your digital files seem like they’re from another era.