Othmar Pferschy In the Light of the Republic - The Photographs of Othmar Pferschy

In the exhibition "In the Light of the Republic, Photographs by Othmar Pferschy", Istanbul Modern Photography Gallery presented 160 works by Othmar Pferschy (1898-1984), who during the foundation years assumed the important duty of introducing the young Republic and the Turkish people to the world through his photographs.

Austrian photographer Othmar Pferschy, who came to the fore with his works in the early years of the Turkish Republic and influenced his own period and later periods, worked in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, General Directorate of Press as the official photographer of Kemalist Turkey from 1935 to 1940 at the insistence of Vedat Nedim Tör, who was the general director of the same office. One of the pioneers and most important representatives of documentary and modern landscape photography during the Republic Period, Pferschy traveled throughout Turkey and took thousands of photographs. Pferschy devoted years to photographing large buildings, modern factories, schools, universities, hospitals, streets, stadiums, parks and squares in Turkey’s town and cities; and portraying life at the time in photographs of 19 May ceremonies, villagers, workers, horse riders, tennis players, fencers, laboratory technicians, typists, pianists and so on. His photographs capture meticulously timed moments, are technically flawless and aesthetically brilliant. Pferschy’s photographs were published in album entitled Turkey in Pictures (1936). This album was designed to tell the world about the new Turkey. His photographs also appeared in many issues of La Turquie Kemaliste, on stamps, postcards and banknotes, and in many books, brochures and calendars.

"In the Light of the Republic, Photographs by Othmar Pferschy" presented a selection from Pferschy's archive, which was donated to the photography archive of Istanbul Modern by his daughter Astrid von Schell in May, 2005.

Curator: Engin Özendes