I returned on Tuesday from a two-week vacation in Switzerland and
Innsbruck. I'm just now getting reorganized, and starting to review my
photographs from the trip.
I did want to report, however, that while in Zurich I was able to meet
up with Markus Maurer, and we were able to hold a PDML Mico-Meeting of
sorts.
My wife Lee and I arranged to meet Markus at the Kunsthaus. There, we
enjoyed an exhibit of works by Henri Cartier-Bresson and Alberto
Giacometti. It was the first time I had seen an actual photographic
print (as opposed to a reproduction in a book) of "Behind the Gare
Saint-Lazare." It is even more impressive in person. HCB gave up
photography later in his life, and went back to drawing and painting.
Many of his best works in both genres were on display in Zurich,
together with works by this friend Giacometti, including photos of
Giacometti by HCB and drawings of each by the other. It was a great exhibit.
Also at the Kunsthaus there was an exhibition of around 100 photographs
dating from the 1920s to the 1950s taken from the archives of the Los
Angeles Police Department (LAPD), entitled 'The Art of the Archive.'
These were very well made photographs of interesting subjects
relating to criminal investigation.
The third photographic exhibit at the Kunsthaus was an extraordinary
collection of photographs by Czech photographer Miroslav Tichý,
exclusively using home-made cameras and mostly on the subject of the
the female form. Some of his equipment was also on display. His
cameras make the Holga look like a modern high-tech marvel.
Markus was a great and amiable host. We walked around the old town a
bit, had dinner together at a Fondue restaurant, and drank a few beers
at a sidewalk cafe. It was a very enjoyable visit, and I thank Markus
very much for his time and hospitality.
Here is a snapshot of Markus at the sidewalk cafe, after some good Swiss
wine and a couple of beers:
http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=3625031
Here is a shot later in the evening. He is getting a bit fuzzy, so one
or both of us were apparently a bit drunk by that time:
http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=3625035
Note that Markus is paying homage to the Swiss and Zurich flags, or
perhaps to the two strange images of dogs on the opposite building.
I visited two other photographic exhibits on this trip to Switzerland.
The Musée de l'Elysée
in Lausanne, near the Olympic Museum, featured a display of 300
photographs by 50 young artists from many different countries. Many of
the photos were stunning in effect; a few were, in my view, pretentious
crap. They also had a slide show featuring the winning photographs from
a contest for local school children. Quite interesting indeed.
Finally, in Geneva ny wife and I spent two hours viewing the outdoor
display of photographs called Earth from Above, by Yann Arthus-Betrand.
Taken from airplanes, these shots of startling images from all over the
globe are very effective. I have the book version of his work (
*http://tinyurl.com/ca3ru ), *but the photos are much more effective
outdoors in the form of huge prints rather than in book reprints. I
have seen the exhibit previously in two other European cities (Once in
Oslo with Jostein!), but it was worth seeing again. The exhibit also
includes a lot of information and opinion about environmental issues in
the world today.
Overall, it was a great trip. I am hoping to submit a few of the
photographs I took in the PUG Gallery, or perhaps as a PESO.
Once again, many thanks Markus for you time and companionship!
Dan M
