Rudy Burckhardt: New York/Maine
Swiss-American photographer Rudy Burckhardt (1914 – 1999) placed equal value upon people and places when it came to choosing his subject matter. Refusing simply to angle his lens at those he passed in the street, he managed to record the shapes, patterns and architecture of his locations, leaving society to weave in and out of the frames. Arriving in New York in 1935, Burckhardt associated with writers, artists, dancers and filmmakers, including Willem and Elaine de Kooning, Larry Rivers, Jane Freilicher, Kurt Weill and Orson Welles. As well as providing a fresh perspective on the city in which they lived, he was particularly skilled in capturing his artistic friends at work, demonstrating their character and talent in one shot. The unique images presented here appear in New York/Maine, currently running at MdM Mönchsberg, Austria, until 7 July, alongside the photographer’s great friend Alex Katz’s exhibition of the same name.
