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Prof. Manfred Schmalriede

Was born in 1937 in Oldenburg. He first studied Art, Photography, and Sculpture at Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg, followed by History, Art History, and Philosophy at the universities of Hamburg, Stuttgart, and Tübingen. He found the courses in aesthetics and semiotics of Professor Max Bense particularly influential.

From 1965 to 1971 Manfred Schmalriede taught at a highschool in Stuttgart, and from 1971 to 2002 he was professor of Design theory, semiotics and aesthetics at Hochschule Pforzheim. He was lecturer for History and Theory of Photography at Universität Essen from 1979 to 1991, and from 2002 to 2006 at Fotoschule Fotografie am Schiffbauerdamm (FaS). He has led workshops on Theory of Photography at Cranbrook Academy and State Universität in Cleveland Ohio.In 2007 he founded the Internationale Akademie für Photographie Berlin e.V. (IAPh Berlin e.V.).

“If there is a language in images,
one should use it every day.”

Manfred Schmalriede is an appointed member of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie and Deutsche Fotografische Akademie, consulting member of Bund Freischaffender Fotodesigner, and regular jury member of BFF-Förderpreis and Reinhart-Wolf-Preis. He has been lecturer for History and Theory of Photography since 2007.

Photography was not the main focus of his degree at HfbK in Hamburg. It was the photographic activities of other students that tickled his curiosity, and since then Manfred Schmalriede has worked closely with photography and alongside his teaching work he has been an active curator since the 70s. In class he teaches students to see the potential in photography – not only in the creative process but also in its use in a social and aesthetic context. Whether fashion, advertising, journalistic, or everyday photography, Manfred Schmalriede finds the use of images in printed media particularly remarkable. Should there be a “language of images”, this is created by its everyday use. In his classes he proves this theory with a comprehensive collection of images.

Selected Curated Exhibitions with Publications
1996   Zeitgenössische Fotokunst aus den Niederlanden, Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe, Hallescher Kunstverein, Halle (1997)
1995   Neue Fotokunst aus Russland, Karlsruhe, Frankfurt, Hannover, Düsseldorf, Herten
1994   25 Jahre design center stuttgart, Streiflichter – Standpunkte – Perspektiven, in Zusammenarbeit mit dem design center stuttgart
1992   Design Positionen Deutschland, Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen Stuttgart und design center stuttgart, Weil am Rhein, Chicago, Mexico City
1992   Erfundene Wirklichkeiten, Foto-Triennale der Stadt Esslingen
1991   Die Bildermacher, Professionelle Fotografie, Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe
1989   Deutsche Werbefotografie 1925–1988, Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen, Stuttgart
1989   Fotografie und Werbung, Werbefotografie in Deutschland seit den 20er Jahren, Museum Folkwang, Essen
1986   Kunst und Design, in Zusammenarbeit mit dem design center stuttgart, Stuttgart
1980   Absage an das Einzelbild, Fotografische Sammlung des Museums Folkwang, Essen

Selected Publications
2011   Ist es so gewesen?, in: Christian von Steffelin: Palast der Republik (1994–2010), Ostfildern
2004   Zwischen Dokumentation und Inszenierung. Sportfotografie im Wandel, in: Die Visualisierung des Sports in den Medien, hrsg. von Thomas Schierl, Köln
2003   Franz Lazi, Fotografie, Tübingen/Berlin
2001   Draw a Distinction (mit Bernd Hennig), in: Bildhandeln, hrsg. von Klaus Sachs-Hombach, Magdeburg
1999   Zeit-Blicke, 30 Jahre BFF Bund Freischaffender Foto-Designer, Ostfildern-Ruit
1996   Fotoszenen – Sho(r)t Stories, Göttingen