Alberto Schommer facts for kids
Alberto Schommer García (born August 9, 1928 – died September 10, 2015) was a famous Spanish photographer. He was known for his unique style and powerful portraits.
About Alberto Schommer
Alberto Schommer was born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. He learned about photography from his father, Alberto Schommer Koch, who was also a photographer. His father had moved from Germany and opened a photo studio in the 1940s. Later, Alberto Schommer studied photography in Cologne, Germany, and in Paris, France.
He received many important awards for his work. In 2008, the Spanish government gave him the Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts. In 2013, he won the National Prize of Photography. He also became a member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in 1996, which is a very respected art academy.
To honor his amazing career, his hometown of Vitoria named a street after him in the Adurza area. Alberto Schommer passed away on September 10, 2015, in San Sebastián, at 87 years old, after an illness.
His Photography Work
Alberto Schommer traveled all over the world for his photography. He created hundreds of projects and published almost a hundred books. He also taught at important workshops and judged photography contests. His photographs have been shown in exhibitions around the globe, from Japan to the United States. He won many awards for his creative work.
One of his most famous projects was his series of portraits. These pictures became well-known because he shared them through the newspaper El País. These portraits, called Retratos psicológicos (Psychological Portraits), showed important people from the worlds of power, business, and culture. Even famous artists like Andy Warhol admired his work.
Schommer had a special way of taking portraits that made a big impact in the 1970s and 1980s. His photos became a visual record of a time of big changes in Spain, known as the "Transition." He continued to work professionally until he passed away in 2015.
Exhibitions
- Masks, Museo del Prado (Madrid)
Books by Alberto Schommer
- Las fotos psicológicas (1975)
- La vida en los museos (1998)
- Autobiografía de un madrileño (2000)
- Egipto: Lo eterno (2000)
- Shanghái (2000)
- Brasil: El hombre que veía demasiado (2000)
- El arte de la mirada (2002)
- Paisajes ordenados (2002)
- Alberto Schommer (Photobolsillo) (2002)
- Metrópolis. Archivo municipal de Vitoria-Gasteiz (2003)
- La belleza oculta: Libia ND/DSC (2004)
- Un cuerpo vivo: La catedral de Santa María de Vitoria-Gasteiz (2007)
- Primera época (2007)
- Trasfiguración (2008)
- Metro (2010)
See also
In Spanish: Alberto Schommer para niños
