Balthasar Burkhard
Encyclopedia
Balthasar Burkhard was a Swiss photographer who received international recognition for his large-format monochromatic photographic series.
, cooperating closely with curator Harald Szeemann
and portraying many artists. This triggered Burkhard's interest in contemporary art. He came to international attention in 1969 through the exhibition of large-format photographs created together with the Bernese artist Markus Raetz, which included a 1:1 scale photograph of Raetz's study. Burkhard and Raetz were the first artists worldwide to expose photographs directly onto canvases using a self-developed technique.
After moving to the USA, Burkhard tried to find work as an actor in Hollywood, thinking that his distinctive face might make him suited for a career as a movie villain
. Instead, he was appointed Visiting Lecturer of Photography at the University of Illinois in Chicago, where he taught from 1976 to 1978. His first dedicated exhibition in 1977 at the Zolla/Lieberman Gallery in Chicago was followed by regular stays in New York and participation in film projects.
After his return to Switzerland in 1983, he worked in La Chaux-de-Fonds
and Bern, cooperating with several other artists. His works came to be regularly exhibited worldwide, at times in up to 20 group exhibitions simultaneously. From 1990 to 1992, Burkhard taught as a visiting lecturer at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Nîmes, having moved to France in 1990. Towards the end of the 20th century, he began to focus on urban photography and directed the film Ciudad. In 2007, he married Vida Rudis, a teacher whom he had met in Chicago.
that filled an entire exhibition hall in the Kunsthalle Basel
in 1983.
His work has been praised for its "hermeticism
and poetic depth", characterized as that of a "hyperrealist dreamer" and placed in the tradition of Tanizaki Junichiro and Gustave Courbet
, whom Burkhard admired; his photographic reflections on the painter's work were made part of the great Courbet exposition of 2007 in the Grand Palais
. A central theme in Burkhard's work was the depiction of the female sex, in an approach that has been interpreted as the "search for the primordial goddess, the focus of all desires". Women were notably the focus of a 1970s Polaroid
nudes series with Markus Raetz, the theme of a noted series of photographs on the nape and feet of a geisha
, and the topic of a number of huge images shown in 2008 in the Songlines exhibition at the Museum Franz Gertsch
in Burgdorf.
Burkhard and his work are the subject of an episode of the 2005 3sat
documentary series PHOTOsuisse. His photographs have been published in several coffee-table books.
Life
Born in Bern in 1944, Burkhard was apprenticed to photographer Kurt Blum. After opening his studio in 1965, he was retained as documentation photographer by the Kunsthalle BernKunsthalle Bern
The Kunsthalle Bern is a Kunsthalle on the Helvetiaplatz in Berne, Switzerland.It was built in 1917–1918 by the Kunsthalle Bern Association and opened on October 5, 1918. Since then, it has been the site of numerous expositions of contemporary art...
, cooperating closely with curator Harald Szeemann
Harald Szeemann
Harald Szeemann was a Swiss curator and art historian.-Life:Szeemann was born in Bern. He studied art history, archaeology and journalism in Bern and Paris, and in 1956 he began working as an actor, stage designer and painter, as well as doing one-man shows. He started creating exhibitions in 1957...
and portraying many artists. This triggered Burkhard's interest in contemporary art. He came to international attention in 1969 through the exhibition of large-format photographs created together with the Bernese artist Markus Raetz, which included a 1:1 scale photograph of Raetz's study. Burkhard and Raetz were the first artists worldwide to expose photographs directly onto canvases using a self-developed technique.
After moving to the USA, Burkhard tried to find work as an actor in Hollywood, thinking that his distinctive face might make him suited for a career as a movie villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
. Instead, he was appointed Visiting Lecturer of Photography at the University of Illinois in Chicago, where he taught from 1976 to 1978. His first dedicated exhibition in 1977 at the Zolla/Lieberman Gallery in Chicago was followed by regular stays in New York and participation in film projects.
After his return to Switzerland in 1983, he worked in La Chaux-de-Fonds
La Chaux-de-Fonds
La Chaux-de-Fonds is a Swiss city of the district of La Chaux-de-Fonds in the canton of Neuchâtel. It is located in the Jura mountains at an altitude of 1000 m, a few kilometres from the French border. After Geneva and Lausanne, it is the third largest city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of...
and Bern, cooperating with several other artists. His works came to be regularly exhibited worldwide, at times in up to 20 group exhibitions simultaneously. From 1990 to 1992, Burkhard taught as a visiting lecturer at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Nîmes, having moved to France in 1990. Towards the end of the 20th century, he began to focus on urban photography and directed the film Ciudad. In 2007, he married Vida Rudis, a teacher whom he had met in Chicago.
Work
Burkhard, who almost always worked in black and white, was best known for his large-format photographic series. These images have been described as centering "on a stock of clearly defined subjects which he carefully extracts one by one from their context", as for instance with the photograph of an armArm
In human anatomy, the arm is the part of the upper limb between the shoulder and the elbow joints. In other animals, the term arm can also be used for analogous structures, such as one of the paired forelimbs of a four-legged animal or the arms of cephalopods...
that filled an entire exhibition hall in the Kunsthalle Basel
Kunsthalle Basel
Since opening in 1872, Kunsthalle Basel has examined various positions concerning contemporary art. This renowned exhibition space in the Swiss city of Basel has a very long tradition of supporting avant-garde artists and expanding the accepted boundaries of contemporary art. Contemporary art...
in 1983.
His work has been praised for its "hermeticism
Hermeticism
Hermeticism or the Western Hermetic Tradition is a set of philosophical and religious beliefs based primarily upon the pseudepigraphical writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus...
and poetic depth", characterized as that of a "hyperrealist dreamer" and placed in the tradition of Tanizaki Junichiro and Gustave Courbet
Gustave Courbet
Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet was a French painter who led the Realist movement in 19th-century French painting. The Realist movement bridged the Romantic movement , with the Barbizon School and the Impressionists...
, whom Burkhard admired; his photographic reflections on the painter's work were made part of the great Courbet exposition of 2007 in the Grand Palais
Grand Palais
This article contains material abridged and translated from the French and Spanish Wikipedia.The Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées, commonly known as the Grand Palais , is a large historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France...
. A central theme in Burkhard's work was the depiction of the female sex, in an approach that has been interpreted as the "search for the primordial goddess, the focus of all desires". Women were notably the focus of a 1970s Polaroid
Instant film
Instant film is a type of photographic film first introduced by Polaroid that is designed to be used in an instant camera...
nudes series with Markus Raetz, the theme of a noted series of photographs on the nape and feet of a geisha
Geisha
, Geiko or Geigi are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance.-Terms:...
, and the topic of a number of huge images shown in 2008 in the Songlines exhibition at the Museum Franz Gertsch
Museum Franz Gertsch
Museum Franz Gertsch is an art museum in Burgdorf, Switzerland.thumb|Burgdorf , Museum Franz Gertsch- The architecture :In close cooperation with Franz Gertsch, the Swiss architects Hansueli Jörg and Martin Sturm designed exhibition spaces that are aligned in their function with reference to the...
in Burgdorf.
Burkhard and his work are the subject of an episode of the 2005 3sat
3sat
3sat is the name of a public, advertising-free, television network in Central Europe. The programming is in German and is broadcast primarily within Germany, Austria and Switzerland .3sat was established for cultural...
documentary series PHOTOsuisse. His photographs have been published in several coffee-table books.
External links
- balthasarburkhard.ch
- Biography in German by his publisher, Scheidegger & Spiess
- List of exhibitions and collections at artfacts.net
- Works and exhibitions at artnet.com