SACHLICH NEU - Fotografien von August Sander, Albert Renger-Patzsch und Robert Häusser

In the organizer's words:

2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the legendary Mannheim exhibition "The New Objectivity". To mark the occasion, the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen and the Forum Internationale Photographie are presenting the special exhibition "SACHLICH NEU. Photographs by August Sander, Albert Renger-Patzsch & Robert Häusser".

August Sander (1876 - 1964) and Albert Renger-Patzsch (1897 - 1966) are considered the most important photographers of the New Objectivity movement. For the first time, the exhibition brings their incunabula from the 1920s and 30s into an exciting dialog with photographic icons by the renowned photographer Robert Häusser (1924 - 2013).

Häusser's works in the style of "Magical Realism" and "Subjective Photography" enter into a fascinating correspondence with the New Objectivity masterpieces. The exhibition focuses on the themes of "portraits and depictions of people", "industry and people at work" and "landscapes". The selected works reflect the period of upheaval between belief in progress and scepticism after the two world wars, the caesura and the new beginning as well as the fragility of our existence in its beauty and abysmal nature.

"SACHLICH NEU" is a contribution to the "New Objectivity" anniversary year and accompanies a major special exhibition at the Kunsthalle Mannheim. At the same time, the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen are celebrating the 100th birthday of Robert Häusser.

Statement on NSDAP membership

It recently became known that Robert Häusser, contrary to his own statements, was a member of the NSDAP. Furthermore, his claim that his father was interned in the Dachau concentration camp cannot be substantiated. The documents of the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen and the Häusser family do not contain any information on these facts. We are currently examining the state of affairs in order to take into account and publish new findings in biographical accounts of Robert Häusser.