Rudy Burckhardt
Photographs and Films
HAUPTBAU / 16.09.2005–21.01.2006 / Curator: Anita Haldemann
Rudy Burckhardt (1914–1999) left his native Basel in 1935 and emigrated to the United States where he embarked on a career as a photographer, experimental filmmaker and, in later years, as a painter as well. He became famous for his street scenes of the city of New York in the 1940s, which now rank among the icons of 20th-century photography. His friendship with Willem de Kooning began in the 1950s. He photographed many artists in their studios, not only de Kooning but also Alex Katz, Hans Hofmann, Jackson Pollock and others. These artists portraits are another highlight in a fascinating oeuvre, which is now on view in Switzerland for the first time.
