VERY RARE, WIDELY UNKNOWN AND HIGHLY UNDERRATED PORTFOLIO - in big A3 format. VINTAGE DDR/GDR PUBLICATION - published in 1982, so 7 (!) years before the fall of the wall (1989). WITH 8 ORIGINAL PHOTOS in black and white. WITH 2 OFFSET-PRINTS in colour. By 6 LEADING NUDE PHOTOGRAPHERS FROM EAST GERMANY. COMPLETE WITH ALL 10 PLATES AND WITH CONTENT SHEET (often missing). Four (!) photos by Günter Rössler (1926-2012), two photos by Klaus Fischer (1934-2009), one photo each by Roger Rössing (1929-2006), Rudolf Schäfer (born 1952), Joachim Thurn (born 1943) and Eva Mahn (born 1947) on loose plates plus the photo by Ludwig Schirmer on the cover. THIS IS THE VERY FIRST PHOTOBOOK AUCTION ON CATAWIKI - dedicated entirely to the world of the former "DDR"/"GDR" ("GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC" or "EAST GERMANY") which existed from 1949 to 1990. Still largely undiscovered and unexplored, this field offers a wealth of fascinating discoveries for collectors. 5Uhr30.com presents exceptional works by renowned and emerging artists, survey works, compelling monographs, as well as extraordinarily rare small vintage catalogues, vintage children’s books and vintage factory photobooks; signed publications, posters, and much more. "The very great-grandfathers of photography already discovered the beautiful, unclothed female body as an alluring subject for their cameras. Thus, the nude as an artistic photographic image can be traced back to the very beginnings of “photographed nature.” As early as 1841, the first handbook for photographers of this genre was published in France. A flood of nude photographs then appeared on the market—declared both as works of art and as being “for scientific purposes.” Painters gladly made use of these “aids to memory.” In this way, a dialogue between photography and painting came into being. Almost all the great masters of the nineteenth century drew inspiration from nude photography; the most prominent among them were Courbet, Delacroix, Degas, and Toulouse-Lautrec. With the further development of photographic and lithographic techniques around the turn of the century, printing possibilities of unprecedented scale emerged; nude representations now reached a mass audience in large editions - from picture postcards to poster - despite bourgeois so-called moral concepts (or perhaps precisely because of them?). The first entertainment magazines at the beginning of the twentieth century quite naturally published nude photographs; the term “photography from life” makes us smile today. In our own time, we prefer to approach this subject in the spirit of Walt Whitman: “Is nakedness indecent? No, not in itself! Your thoughts, your subtleties, your propriety - these are what are indecent!” In this portfolio, PLANET Publishing presents works by the photographers Ludwig Schirmer, Klaus Fischer, Eva Mahn, Günter Rössler, Roger Rössing, Rudolf Schäfer, and Joachim Thurn. Time and again, they have committed themselves to nude photography and, with great dedication, sought new artistic forms of expression. Their models are self-confident young women, mostly employed, often still in training. Here, too - as with painters - the focus is on a creative dialogue between photographer and model. The body offers a multitude of expressive possibilities, and the nude photographer should, with great sensitivity, attempt to grasp the person from head to toe in their individuality, rather than concentrating on mere nakedness. Only in this way can an aesthetic nude portrait emerge - one that will often affirm the viewer’s subjective sense of beauty. An enhancement of visual pleasure occurs when the erotic radiance of a well-built body stimulates the viewer’s sensuality and “brings about an intensification of their sense of life.” And what would a nude photograph be without eroticism? - Brigitte Sellin - Like always we guarantee detailed and accurate descriptions, 100% transport protection, 100% transport insurance, and of course, combined shipping - worldwide. MAKE SURE YOU DON'T MISS THIS UNIQUE AUCTION. Brought to you exclusively by 5Uhr30.com, Cologne, Germany. PLANET-Verlag, Berlin. 1982. First edition, first printing. Portfolio with 10 loose plates and with extra loose content sheet. 280 x 380 mm. Edited by Manfred Heidel. Layout: Hans-Peter Greinke. Printing: Druckerei Volksstimme Magdeburg. Selection and text: Brigitte Sellin. Text in German. Condition: Portfolio well-preserved; light trace of use. Text sheet complete; marginally foxed. 6 (of the 8 photos) fresh and flawless; 2 photos with little defects at the edges. The 2 colour Offset prints fresh and flawless. Overall very good condition. Rare, highly impressive original DDR/GDR portfolio - complete with content sheet and with all 10 plates. "Sibylle Bergemann (1941-2010) was one of the most important German artists of the past decades and is internationally the most famous representative of GDR photography. With her pictures between dream and social reality, she made photographic history. Some of her photographs have become icons and will survive time as an important part of German imagery. Sibylle Bergemann was a master of composition and the conscious use of color, who mastered various styles of photography, whether documentary or portrait, fashion, essay or landscape. Through her educational work she has influenced a whole generation of young photographers. At her home in Berlin-Mitte, GDR colleagues and internationally renowned photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Helmut Newton and Robert Frank came together. After the reunification she co-founded OSTKREUZ - photographer's agency and was a member of the Academy of Arts in Berlin. She was a photographer who, in an often individualistic profession, was always looking for community and fellowship." (Ostkreuz agency) "Günter Rössler was a German photographer who made a name for himself particularly in the field of artistic nude photography. Günter Rössler began an apprenticeship as a photographer in 1946 and studied at the Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig from 1947 to 1950. From 1951, he worked as a freelance fashion, reportage and advertising photographer. In the 1960s, he focussed on nude photography and was one of the pioneers of this genre in the GDR. From 1954 to 1990, he worked mainly for GDR fashion magazines such as Modische Maschen (from 1967 photos and graphic design) and Sibylle (from 1962) as well as the monthly magazine Das Magazin and in photo magazines such as Fotografie and Fotokino-Magazin. He took advertising photos for the GDR fur industry Interpelz, trade magazine Putz und Pelz, later Brühl. He was co-initiator of the first nude plein air in Höfgen (Grimma) in 1979. His first nude exhibition - in 1979 at the Kunsthaus Grimma - caused a sensation in the GDR. His subsequent exhibitions were also crowd-pullers. As his photos were considered ‘not offensive’, the exhibitions were also visited by school classes. Simplicity and abstraction in black and white make his photos appear almost sculptural; the great naturalness of his models was part of the concept of his nude photography. In 1981, Rössler was accepted into the Association of Visual Artists of the GDR. In 1996 he was appointed to the German Society for Photography. Günter Rössler began an apprenticeship as a photographer in 1946 and studied at the Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig from 1947 to 1950. From 1951, he worked as a freelance fashion, reportage and advertising photographer. In the 1960s, he focussed on nude photography and was one of the pioneers of this genre in the GDR. In 1984, Playboy printed a ten-page article with photos by Günter Rössler under the title Mädchen der DDR (Girls of the GDR). The reportage was honoured by Playboy with 10,000 DM, of which he received only 15%, as was customary in the GDR. Alongside Günter Rinnhofer, he was one of the few photographers to be featured almost every month for decades in the magazines Fotokino-Magazin and Fotografie. He worked mainly in black and white and only in analogue. An interview and photos appeared in the magazine Das Magazin in 2011. Rössler was married twice. His first wife Ruth died of cancer in 1991. His second marriage was to his former model Kirsten Schlegel. The two had met when Schlegel was 14 years old. She first worked for him as a model for fashion shoots and then as an assistant. They had a daughter together (born 2003). Rössler lived in Markkleeberg-Ost near Leipzig for more than 50 years. His mortal remains were buried in an urn at the Markkleeberg Auenfriedhof cemetery on 11 January 2013." (Wikipedia) "Klaus Fischer (1934–2009) was a German photographer and book author. From 1957 to 1962, Fischer studied photography at the Academy of Visual Arts and Book Design Leipzig under Heinz Föppel and Berthold Beiler (1915–1975). He then worked for two years at the GDR magazine NBI before deciding to pursue a freelance career. His preferred fields of work were fashion and nude photography. He became particularly well known for his photographs published in the popular magazine Das Magazin, which featured a nude photograph every month. In addition, Fischer distinguished himself as the author of numerous books, including photography guidebooks and illustrated volumes on German cities. Klaus Fischer most recently lived in Berlin-Mahlsdorf. His estate, which had been stored in a garage for several years, was discovered by a friend in 2017 and subsequently published." (Wikipedia) "Roger Rössing (1929–2006) was a German photographer, author, and publicist. He was among the most well-known photographers of the GDR. From 1948 to 1951, Rössing studied photography under Johannes Widmann at the Academy of Visual Arts and Book Design Leipzig (Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig). Together with his wife Renate Rössing, he was part of the Leipzig group “action fotografie” in the 1950s. The couple published around 90 books. In 1988, both were awarded the Art Prize of the City of Leipzig, and from 1990 onward they were honorary members of the German Society for Photography (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie) in Cologne. Rössing was also active as a publicist and author beyond photographic literature. In the couple’s final book, published in April 2006, they recorded their observations of Leipzig over the course of five decades. The Rössing Foundation is named after the couple and supports authors and photographers. Each year, the foundation awards the Rössing Prize, endowed with €3,000, to graduating students of the photography program at the Academy of Visual Arts and Book Design Leipzig. The photographic estate of Roger and Renate Rössing was donated to the German Phototheque (Deutsche Fotothek). A project funded by the Federal Cultural Foundation (Kulturstiftung des Bundes) made its documentation possible." (Wikipedia) "Rudolf Schäfer, born 1952 in Herrenhof, Thuringia, is a German photographer and university professor. From 1969, Schäfer completed an apprenticeship as a commercial artist and worked in this profession until 1972. In 1973/1974, he worked as a film camera assistant. Since 1974, he has been a freelance photographer in East Berlin. From 1978 to 1983, he pursued a distance-learning degree in photography at the Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig (Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig), which he completed with a diploma. During this period, he gained particular recognition for his nude photography, which he published from 1973 to 1984 in the popular magazine Das Magazin. He also worked as a fashion photographer for Exquisit. In 1985 and 1986, Schäfer was a master student (Meisterschüler) at the Academy of Arts of the GDR under Ludwig Engelhardt and Klaus Wittkugel. Until 1990, he was a member of the Association of Visual Artists of the GDR." (Wikipedia) "Eva Mahn, born in 1947 in Aschersleben, is a German art historian, university lecturer, and photographer. In 1964, she completed her Abitur at the Extended Secondary School (Erweiterte Oberschule, EOS) “Thomas Müntzer” in Aschersleben and at the same time finished vocational training as a metalworker at the state-owned enterprises (VEB) WEMA and ABUS Aschersleben, receiving her skilled worker’s certificate. While still studying art history, history, and art education in Greifswald and Leipzig (1965–1970), Mahn married and moved from Greifswald to Leipzig. In 1972 she separated from her husband, and two years later she relocated from Leipzig to Halle. Her daughter was born in 1977. From 1970 to 1972, Eva Mahn worked as a research associate, and from 1972 to 1996 as a research assistant, at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Halle (Saale), Department of Fine Arts. As an art historian, she was active in research, teaching, and publishing, including work as a juror, exhibition curator, and academic advisor for symposia in the fields of crafts, design, art in architecture, and 19th- and 20th-century architecture. Until 1990 she was a member of the Association of Visual Artists of the GDR and, among other exhibitions, was represented at the 10th Art Exhibition of the GDR in Dresden in 1987/1988. In 1991, she earned her PhD (Dr. phil.) at Leipzig University with a publication on German Romantic Stained Glass Painting, 1790–1850. From 1992 to 1996, Eva Mahn was head of the Art and Design Collection at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle. Since 1996, she has also worked there as an artistic and academic staff member in the Department of Fine Arts, specializing in basic photography. She ended her teaching career in 2011. From 1969 to 1977, Eva Mahn worked part-time as a model for the fashion magazines Sybille (Berlin), Saison, and Modische Maschen (Leipzig). From 1973 to 1975, she assisted fashion photographer Günter Rössler in Leipzig for two years and engaged intensively with black-and-white photography. This was followed by: 1977–1984: photographic contributions to Das Magazin (Berlin) Since 1978: publication of photographic works in exhibitions, catalogs, and books, as well as commissioned work for theaters, magazines, and artists’ catalogs 1980–1986: predominantly erotic photography 1989/1990: socially critical portraits and works on the city of Halle 1991–1993: project Breaking into Freedom, about young people in eastern Germany (photographs and interviews) 1994: project Border Crossers, about the artists’ village and Baltic Sea resort of Ahrenshoop (photographs and interviews) 2000–2002: project Holy Family, the second phase of her work on young people in eastern Germany (photographs and interviews) 2005–2006: project Men, about prominent men from East and West active in Halle (Saale) 2012: exhibition Halle and the Rest of the World, photographs from the last 15 years of the GDR From 1994 to 1997, she served as a jury member for the German Youth Photography Award and the Kodak Nachwuchs-Förderpreis for young photographers. Since 1995, she has taught the fundamentals of photography in the Department of Fine Arts at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle. In 1996, she was appointed a member of the German Society for Photography (DGPh), where she also served on the board from 1998 to 2000. In 1998, Eva Mahn was elected to the German Photographic Academy (DFA), where she has served as Vice President since 2001. In 2000, she was the coordinator of the symposium and exhibition program of the DGPh Photography at the Threshold of the New Millennium in Halle (Saale). Since 2001, she has organized annual exhibitions of her students in vacant listed buildings in the city of Halle: in 2001 black hole in the bunker beneath Universitätsplatz; in collaboration with the Francke Foundations as part of the 2004 theme year Enlightenment through Education, musée de la lumière in the Neue Residenz; and in 2005, as part of the theme year Family and Community at the Friedemann Bach House." (Wikipedia)