Ernst Scheidegger
“The Image-Making Seer. On the Photographic Work of Ernst Scheidegger”
Alessa Widmer
Essay in: “Ernst Scheidegger – Photographer”, Scheidegger & Spiess, Zürich 2023.
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“Ernst Scheidegger (1923–2016) ranks among Switzerland’s most distinguished 20th-century photographers. His portraits of artists made his name internationally. Scheidegger’s photographs of Alberto Giacometti at his Paris studio or in his native Val Bregaglia in Switzerland continue to shape the public image of this celebrated artist today. Marking the centenary of Ernst Scheidegger, who was also the founder of our publishing house, this book offers a fresh and contemporary look at his multi-faceted body of work. It is based on an extensive reappraisal of his estate and features a concise selection of iconic and lesser-known images that demonstrated Scheidegger’s prowess as a portraitist. More importantly, however, the volume enables an encounter with Scheidegger’s hitherto little-published early work and thus undertakes a reassessment of his entire oeuvre. Essays by Tobia Bezzola, art historian and director of the MASI Lugano, Alessa Widmer, curator and artistic director of Photo Basel art fair, Kunsthaus Zürich conservator Philippe Büttner, and Helen Grob, Scheidegger’s long-time companion, trace his career and self-concept as a photographer and round off this beautifully designed photo book.” – Scheidegger & Spiess
© Scheidegger & Spiess