390 original photographs by Michael Schmidt are on-view in this exhibition (curated by Thomas Weski) at the Haus der Kunst. A number of series are being offered, from portraits to urbanscapes (primarily of Berlin and the Wall), Berlin weddings, interiors, architecture and the women of Hannover. The visual journey follows a thematic order, not a chronological one. Schmidt’s style comes through best in black-and-white and, in particular, through a vast range of grey tones. As he said, “for me, white and black are just the darkest grey and the lightest grey.” Quite removed from the concept of photography of Cartier Bresson who focused on the decisive instant, the images by this photographer who passed away in 1996, are not attractive from an aesthetic standpoint. Missing—intentionally—is a sense of narration and they do not have a beauty that draws you in. In his shots (which Schmidt preferred inserting into series rather than have them stand on their own), nothing extraordinary seems to happen. And yet they stimulate the mind.

Michael Schmidt Grey as Colour. Photographs until 2009
Haus der Kunst, Munich
through 22 August 2011

© Michael Schmidt. Courtesy Galerie Nordenhake