In an essay, Walter Benjamin called Paris the “capital of the 19th century”. The ruptures and changes that Berlin experienced in the twentieth century are so complex and have changed world history, and they all took place here, here between the Scheunenviertel and the Spandauer Vorstadt, beneath the pavement, an epicenter of history, in the heart of the city: a place of arrival for people, artists, new concepts and trends.
_
INVITATION ARTIST TALK & BOOK SIGNING
Stéphane Duroy Thomas Gust in conversation with Thomas Gust
Berlin, the capital of the 20th century
Date: Thursday, January 23, 2025, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Location: Buchkunst Berlin Gallery, Oranienburger Str. 27, 10117 Berlin
Berlin was the proverbial cultural melting pot where new and avant-garde cultural concepts were presented and tested. The echoes were felt in both parts of the city until the 1990s, even during the decades of separation. In the photographs of this period, the war is still present, inscribed in the architecture, continued in everyday life behind the Wall. Berlin is the “capital of the 20th century”. The 20th century was a time of awakening and change for Berlin, marked by war, destruction and new beginnings, as well as by division and reunification.
Stéphane Duroy’s lyrical colour photographs were taken in West Berlin in the last two decades of division, often near the Wall. Colour becomes a striking stylistic device here. Everything seems to have sunken, an Atlantis, in times of silent war. People often appear as their own shadows.
Dresdener Str., Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany, March 1980 / Stephane Duroy / Agence VU
In the hours following the fall of the Wall, the French photojournalist managed to capture intense images that show the beginning of an unprecedented historical upheaval and reorganization of Europe. This year we are celebrating the 35th anniversary of the reunification of Germany. And the images of the fall of the Wall are still a sign of the overcoming of dictatorships and the emergence of freedom under a democratic basic order.
Bouche Str. corner Harzer Str., Berlin, Germany, December 1988 © Stéphane Duroy | Agence VU
_
Cover photo: Fall of the Wall – Erbert Str., Berlin Mitte, Germany, December 1989 © Stéphane Duroy | Agence VU
BUCHKUNST BERLIN GALLERY
FROM THE HEART OF THE CITY
THOMAS HOEPKER
MICHAEL WOLF
STEPHANÉ DUROY
RENÉ GROEBLI
YASUHIRO OGAWA
ROGER BALLEN
Exhibition period: January 18th to February 22nd, 2025
Address: Oranienburger Str. 27, 10117 Berlin
Opening hours: Thurs-Sat, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Contact: +49.(0)30.218 025 40, info@buchkunst-berlin.de
Info: No prior registration necessary, admission free
_
Stéphane Duroy
Born on January 17, 1948 in Bizerte (Tunisia), Stéphane Duroy is a French photographer known for his in-depth study of the history of Europe in the 20th century. Initially working as a press photographer, he soon turned away from reportage to question the complex relationships between Europe and its own history, marked by two devastating wars. His approach is both documentary and conceptual, marked by a simplicity that avoids the spectacular as well as the anecdotal.
From 1977 to 2002, Duroy carried out a comprehensive photographic survey of British society, whose marked social differences illustrate the complexity of human communities. In 1979, he discovered West Berlin, which became for him a symbol of the origins of the European tragedy. From 1984, he investigated the United States, which he describes as a former hope and dream interpretation in which no one believes anymore. This obsessive journey addresses survival in groups, power struggles, failures and a mixture of sincere hope and double standards.
His work has resulted in a significant corpus of monographs. In 2017, Unknown #2 – The endless Reworking of a book was published, a formal development of Duroy’s approach that combines collages, newspaper articles and anonymous photographs. These works allow him to go beyond the boundaries of photography and explore new forms of expression.
Duroy’s work is part of prestigious collections, including the Bibliothèque Nationale de France and the Maison Européenne de la Photographie. He has been exhibited regularly, including in the retrospective “Collapse” in 2002 and “Again and Again” in 2017.
Stéphane Duroy has published numerous books documenting his photographic explorations. His images are a profound reflection on individual and collective destinies shaped by history.
