Animal Portraits
Andy Warhol – Joseph Beuys
Modular Work Catalog
Vol. 10
In 1980, two world artists met: Andy Warhol and Joseph Beuys, whose work superficially has little in common, exhibited together in a Munich gallery. The art collector and great Beuys supporter Franz-Joseph van der Grinten described this as a "star encounter". The photographer Walter Schels, then at the beginning of his artistic career, used the opportunity to take portraits. In classic black-and-white portraits, movement studies, solarizations, overpaintings and collages, he dealt with both revolutionaries of contemporary art. This publication, produced with the kind support of Neustart Kultur and the German Cultural Foundation Fund, makes the diversity of this cycle of works visible for the first time.
With texts by Franz-Joseph van der Grinten and Walter Schels
German/English
Fotografenverlag
Vol. 10
In 1980, two world artists met: Andy Warhol and Joseph Beuys, whose work superficially has little in common, exhibited together in a Munich gallery. The art collector and great Beuys supporter Franz-Joseph van der Grinten described this as a "star encounter". The photographer Walter Schels, then at the beginning of his artistic career, used the opportunity to take portraits. In classic black-and-white portraits, movement studies, solarizations, overpaintings and collages, he dealt with both revolutionaries of contemporary art. This publication, produced with the kind support of Neustart Kultur and the German Cultural Foundation Fund, makes the diversity of this cycle of works visible for the first time.
With texts by Franz-Joseph van der Grinten and Walter Schels
German/English
Fotografenverlag
Gullydeckel
Modular Work Catalog
Vol. 6
"In the late sixties, I moved to New York to become a photographer. On my walks through the city, I discovered the variety of manhole covers, which is particularly large in New York. Since then, I have brought manhole cover photos home from every trip. My collection includes pieces from Reykjavík, Tokyo, Paris, Shanghai, Bangkok, Istanbul, Frankfurt ... there are thousands. And yet, when I have one on the light table or a contact sheet in front of me, I can almost always tell where it was taken."
With texts by Walter Schels and Manuel Gasser
German/English
Fotografenverlag
Vol. 6
"In the late sixties, I moved to New York to become a photographer. On my walks through the city, I discovered the variety of manhole covers, which is particularly large in New York. Since then, I have brought manhole cover photos home from every trip. My collection includes pieces from Reykjavík, Tokyo, Paris, Shanghai, Bangkok, Istanbul, Frankfurt ... there are thousands. And yet, when I have one on the light table or a contact sheet in front of me, I can almost always tell where it was taken."
With texts by Walter Schels and Manuel Gasser
German/English
Fotografenverlag
Menschen
Modular Work Catalog
Vol. 03
As one of the great German portrait photographers, Schels became known with character studies of celebrities such as Andy Warhol, Joseph Beuys, Angela Merkel or the Dalai Lama. "Three factors determine every portrait: posture, eye contact, facial expression"; says the photographer . "But what is a good portrait? And who should like the picture - the photographer, the sitter, the audience?" ...
With a text by Walter Schels
Vol. 03
As one of the great German portrait photographers, Schels became known with character studies of celebrities such as Andy Warhol, Joseph Beuys, Angela Merkel or the Dalai Lama. "Three factors determine every portrait: posture, eye contact, facial expression"; says the photographer . "But what is a good portrait? And who should like the picture - the photographer, the sitter, the audience?" ...
With a text by Walter Schels
NY Street Photography
Modular Work Catalog
Vol. 04
In the late sixties, Walter Schels went to New York to become a photographer. He had no training; until then he had earned his living as a window dresser. As a "complete beginner with a Leica around his neck" (Schels on Schels), he kept a diary with his camera as he wandered through Manhattan. The great portraitist's interest in people can already be seen in his early, previously unpublished reportage pictures. The photos taken during this period are published here for the first time.
With a text by Walter Schels
German/English
Fotografenverlag
Vol. 04
In the late sixties, Walter Schels went to New York to become a photographer. He had no training; until then he had earned his living as a window dresser. As a "complete beginner with a Leica around his neck" (Schels on Schels), he kept a diary with his camera as he wandered through Manhattan. The great portraitist's interest in people can already be seen in his early, previously unpublished reportage pictures. The photos taken during this period are published here for the first time.
With a text by Walter Schels
German/English
Fotografenverlag
Life Before Death. Encounters With The Terminally Ill
Modular Work Catalog
Vol. 14
Few experiences are likely to affect us as profoundly as an encounter with death. Yet most deaths occur almost covertly, at one remove from our everyday lives. Death and dying are arguably our last taboos – the topics our society finds most difficult. We certainly fear them more than our ancestors did. Opportunities to learn more about them are rare indeed.The photographer Walter Schels and the journalist Beate Lakotta spent over a year in hospices in northern Germany. They made portraits of 26 peoloe who were very close to death. All of them agreed to be photographed shortly before and after death. The project articulates the experiences, hopes and fears of the dying, and gives them one more opportunity to be heard.
With texts by Beate Lakotta
English
Fotografenverlag
BLUMEN | Flowers
Modular Work Catalog
Vol. 08
"Withering flowers achieve their own beauty and independence, because they have a life behind them - unlike all the uniformly fresh blooming tulips, roses, sunflowers. I photographed my series of old flowers from 2010-2016, partly with old Agfa, Kodak and Perutz films from the 40s to 60s. And I am an old photographer with old cameras." Seen in this light, the series shows a tribute to old age."
With a text by Walter Schels
German/English
Fotografenverlag
HÄNDE
Walter Schels has always been fascinated by hands. When he portrayed personalities from politics, culture and the intellectual world, he also photographed the palms of their hands. The result is fascinating and haunting black-and-white portraits of unusual closeness and directness. His pictures are complemented by texts by journalist Beate Lakotta; in her essay, she describes the insights into human beings that sciences such as evolutionary biology, genetics and anthropology draw from the shape of their hands. With photographs of Angela Merkel, Helmut Schmidt, Yehudi Menuhin and the Dalai Lama, among others.
With texts by Beate Lakotta and Walter Schels
German
S.Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt, 2016