Karl-Ludwig Lange. The Photographer in His Time. Berlin Years 1973–2004

Lichterfeld Mansions 1986/Frohnau Ponds 1989

Karl-Ludwig Lange

Karl-Ludwig Lange photographed the south and north of West Berlin shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall. The series forms a counterpoint to the rest of the photographer’s work, in which depictions of urban life predominate. Berlin-Lichterfelde is characterized by pompous mansions in spacious gardens; it has long been the domain of the upper classes. In Frohnau, where the building density of the big city ends and the land of Brandenburg begins, the photographer set ponds in scene as poetic locations within the city limits. These make up the second sequence of pictures in the exhibition. The small waterholes carry romantic connotations as places to relax in the big city. Nature is allowed to temporarily prevail here until the area comes under new building zoning and development begins.

Over the course of five decades, Karl-Ludwig Lange independently created an artistic body of work. Visitors are advised to see all exhibitions of the ten-part project The Photographer in His Time to fully understand his world of imagery.