Traces of Reality
200 Years of Photography from the Collections of the Museums of the City of Linz
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Spuren der W Lentos Linz 2026 DSR9604 
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Judith Huemer, Balcony Session Constructed #3, 2007–08 
Eva Schlegel, O. T. 009, 2009 
Edward Steichen, Rodin – Der Denker, 1902 
Huda Takriti, Revisitation. In Three Acts | Act One, 2024 
Felix-Benedikt Sturm, Ohne Titel [260520 take (8) III], aus der Serie Interferenzen, 2020 
Ray Man, Zünder, 1922 (1978) 
Anita Witek, "Safe Space" (aus der Serie "Unvorhergesehene Ereignisse“), 2022 
Inge Morath, 1987 
Madame d’Ora (Dora Kallmus), Damenporträt, 1920-30 
Shirin Neshat, Speechless, 1996 
Franz Xaver Sölch, Damenporträt, um 1850 
Herbert Bayer, Lonely Metropolitan, 1932
Some 200 years ago, the French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce succeeded in permanently capturing the view from his study on a specially coated pewter plate. Today, this event is regarded as one of the defining moments in the birth of photography. Since then, the medium has not only transformed our perception of the world, but has also had a profound impact on the way artists produce images and practise their craft. To mark this anniversary, the exhibition places works from different historical periods drawn from the collections of the Museums of the City of Linz in dialogue.
The exhibition explores the fundamental conditions of the medium itself. Focusing on five core themes, it explores the parameters that are key to creating a photograph. Technical aspects of photography are just as important as the choice of subject matter. As a result, viewers are given a rich insight into the various approaches adopted by artists to using the medium in their image-making processes since its inception: from the earliest photographic methods of the 19th century and darkroom experiments of classical modernism through to contemporary works that exploit digital processes.
Curator: Sarah Jonas
Künstler:innen
Laurien Bachmann, Édouard Baldus, Herbert Bayer, Gottfried Bechtold, Dietmar Brehm, Julia Margaret Cameron, Inge Dick, Johann Carl Enslen, VALIE EXPORT, Sissi Farassat, Trude Fleischmann, Katharina Gruzei, Ilse Haider, Caroline Heider, Heinrich Heidersberger, Assaf Hinden, Franz Hubmann, Judith Huemer, Dagmar Höss, Birgit Jürgenssen, Dora Kallmus (Madame d’Ora), Leo Kandl, Anton Kehrer, Herwig Kempinger, Mathias Kessler, Brigitte Kowanz, Heinrich Kühn, Erich Lessing, Franz Linschinger, Estefanía Peñafiel Loaiza, Inés Lombardi, László Moholy-Nagy, Julie Monaco, Inge Morath, Gaspard Félix Tournachon (Nadar), Shirin Neshat, Olena Newkryta, Waltraud Palme, Ingeborg G. Pluhar, Man Ray, Oscar Gustav Rejlander, Alexander Rodtschenko, August Sander, Leo Schatzl, Eva Schlegel, Edward Steichen, Felix Benedikt Sturm, Huda Takriti, Mathilde ter Heijne, Sophie Thun, Robert Waldl, Anita Witek, Otto Zitko, u. a
| Date | Title | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 24.09 | Public guided tour through „Katrin Plavčak“ Duration: 60 minutes, max. 25 people, guided tour ticket: €4 (plus admission) No registration required (“first-come, first-served”). German only | 6:00 pm–7:00 pm |
| Sat 26.09 | Lentos Atelier Children and young people between the ages of 6 and 12 have the opportunity to discover works of art, work creatively and try out different techniques in the Lentos studio. | 10:00 am–12:00 pm |
| Sat 26.09 | Los Lentoninios Every second Saturday each month (in the holidays: Tuesday) our youngest visitors are cordially invited to the Donauatelier to give their fantasy and creativity free rein. | 3:00 pm–4:30 pm |
| Sun 27.09 | Monument Day: Tactile Guided Tour On Heritage Day, the Lentos Art Museum in Linz invites you to a dialogue-based discussion on art. The focus will be on the museum’s collection and architecture. The event is aimed at both blind and visually impaired people as well as sighted visitors who would like to experience the museum in a different way. Sculptures, a tactile model of the museum, and objects from the restoration workshop will be described, touched, and experienced through all the senses in a shared exchange. Afterward, everyone is invited to get creative and engage in artistic activities themselves. | 11:00 am–12:30 pm |
| Sun 27.09 | Public guided tour through „Katrin Plavčak“ Duration: 60 minutes, max. 25 people, guided tour ticket: €4 (plus admission) No registration required (“first-come, first-served”). German only | 4:00 pm–5:00 pm |
| Tue 29.09 | Baby Tour: Katrin Plavcak. Painting Reality in Surreal Times A relaxed tour of the exhibition, tailored entirely to the needs of visitors with babies. Cost: museum admission only | 10:30 am–11:30 am |
| Tue 29.09 | Public guided tour through “Katrin Plavčak” and “The Collection” Duration: 60 minutes, max. 25 people, guided tour ticket: €4 (plus admission) No registration required (“first-come, first-served”). German only+ | 4:00 pm–5:00 pm |
| Thu 01.10 | Press Conference: erika roessing (1903 – 1977) The exhibition shows erika roessing’s still lifes in dialogue with major works created by her husband, and highlights the artistic symbiosis of the couple. | 11:00 am–12:00 pm |
| Thu 01.10 | Public guided tour through „Katrin Plavčak“ Duration: 60 minutes, max. 25 people, guided tour ticket: €4 (plus admission) No registration required (“first-come, first-served”). German only | 6:00 pm–7:00 pm |
| Thu 01.10 | Opening: erika roessing (1903 – 1977). The Solitude of Objects In her tempera paintings, which are imbued with a tranquil poetry, erika roessing constantly rearranges similar objects – and yet each painting is completely unique. Welcome: Hemma Schmutz, Director Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz; Introduction: Elisabeth Nowak-Thaller, Curator. Free admission | 7:00 pm–9:00 pm |