Last Updated on 01/17/2024 by Chris Gampat
Robert Capa and Henri Cartier-Bresson get a surfeit of coverage as the founders of Magnum Photos. They’re also two of the earliest. Ernst Scheidegger isn’t heard or talked about anywhere as much — yet he’s one of the first the agency brought on. But starting on February 18th, photographers can see his work at the MASI Lugano in Switzerland until July 21st. The event explores the many photographs that he’s done in his early work and those he’s taken of several artists. Most importantly, they dive into a very fascinating time in history that most Americans perhaps never gave much thought to.
All images by Ernst Scheidegger. Provided with permission on behalf of MASI Lugano. Be sure to check out the exhibit and read more about it here.
Here’s a quote on what people should expect at the exhibit:
The exhibition traces Scheidegger’s photographic oeuvre, exploring two groups of works: a selection of early shots from 1945-1955, most of which have not been exhibited before, and his famous artist portraits, done on commission from the mid-1950s. In this second section of the exhibition, the photographic portraits are presented alongside a selection of works by the artists themselves.
The exhibition is accompanied by the publication “Ernst Scheidegger. Fotograf” with texts by Tobia Bezzola, Philippe Büttner, Helen Grob and Alessa Widmer. The German and English edition is published by Scheidegger & Spiess, the Italian edition by Edizioni Casagrande Bellinzona.
Analyzing the Early Work of Ernst Scheidegger
The exhibit dedicates a portion of the space of Ernst’s early imagery. These photographs focus on the people of Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. During this time, Europe was still reeling from war and eager to get back to some sense of normalcy. That’s something that should be kept in mind throughout the viewing as some of these images are from before his days at Magnum, if we’re reading his biography correctly. In fact, if you didn’t necessarily know any better, you probably would’ve thought that these were just normal images of normal people shot on a Rolleiflex. From that perspective, they do a terrific job. But we don’t see any real evidence of cultures torn apart by war in the images.
As an American, I’d personally wonder about the people who society forgot about. There are people who were disabled, suffering economic hardships, and more. However, that answer possibly won’t be provided at the exhibit despite his interest in various social issues. Instead, we can see this as a study in mental health. People often complain about the monotony of their days, but they don’t truly know what they have until it’s gone.
This is a lesson that echoes into today. We’ve recently seen this with the war in Ukraine, Gaza, and even as recent as the COVID era in Trump’s America.
His Work With Artists
Beyond the documentary of every day life, there is also another part of the exhibit dedicated to artists that he’s photographed. This is something that many portrait photographers should find truly fascinating. Ernst Scheidegger makes some of the earliest photographs that would eventually be known as environmental portraits. It includes telling images of people in their spaces channeling what defines them. These photographs are a stark contrast to the images of every day life that we see in the rest of the exhibit.
If you’re curious about a completely different type of Magnum photographer, we recommend that you check out Ernst Scheidegger and give a visit to the exhibit at MASI Lugano.