Zuerst das Leben! Willy Ronis in der DDR. 1960-67

The people, the streets, the holidays or everyday life: whether Willy Ronis photographs old Paris or the new cities of the GDR, his gaze always focuses on these motifs.
In 1967, when he was commissioned by the association “Échanges franco-allemands” to do a photo reportage to promote the recognition of the GDR by France, he turned his camera “first to life”. A humanist, committed and with “his heart on the left”, he documents a modern socialism at the service of the people, preferring to pass over the problems of the system.
Ronis had already been in the GDR in 1960 and therefore knew exactly what to look out for. He fulfills his mission in the form of photographs of young workers, students, children at play, landscapes and everyday scenes…. He also photographed the great painters, sculptors and writers and as often as possible, art classes and optical industry that fascinated him.
After his return, his work was exhibited in 80 communes of France, initially developing its political and propaganda impact, leaving the artistic aspect in the background.
Ronis, meanwhile, also created a historical document on the everyday history of GDR society, which is being published for the first time 55 years after its creation and 30 years after German reunification.
Detached from the context of the Cold War, his pictures today unfold their full stylistic and aesthetic impact. The memorative element is very strong in them, but this is not a disadvantage – quite the contrary.
” I attach importance to capturing the character of people in my photographs, their gestures and attitudes, in the interest of life.” Willy Ronis