August Sander facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
August Sander
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| Born | 17 November 1876 Herdorf, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
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| Died | 20 April 1964 (aged 87) |
| Nationality | German |
| Spouse(s) | Anna Seitenmacher (m. 1902) |
August Sander (born November 17, 1876, died April 20, 1964) was a famous German photographer. He took many pictures of people and real-life events. People often call him "the most important German portrait photographer" of his time.
Sander's photos show landscapes, nature, buildings, and street scenes. But he is most famous for his portraits. His big project, People of the 20th Century, shows many different kinds of people. He wanted to capture what society looked like during the Weimar Republic in Germany.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Photography
August Sander was born on November 17, 1876, in Herdorf, Germany. His father was a carpenter who worked in the mining industry. August had six brothers and sisters.
While working at a local iron-ore mine, August learned about photography. He helped a photographer who also worked for the mining company. With money from his uncle, he bought his own camera gear. He even set up his own darkroom to develop photos.
Sander's Photography Career
August Sander served in the military from 1897 to 1899. During this time, he worked as an assistant to another photographer. They traveled and took pictures all over Germany.
In 1901, he started working for a photo studio in Linz, Austria. By 1902, he became a partner in the studio. Later, he owned the studio all by himself. He left Linz around 1909 or 1910. Then, he opened a new studio in Cologne, Germany.
People of the 20th Century
In 1911, Sander began his most famous work, People of the 20th Century. He wanted to show all kinds of people from German society. This huge project was divided into seven main groups:
- The Farmer
- The Skilled Tradesman
- Woman
- Classes and Professions
- The Artists
- The City
- The Last People (like homeless persons or war veterans)
In 1927, Sander traveled through Sardinia with a writer. He took about 500 photos there. He had planned to make a book about his travels, but it was never finished.
Challenges During the Nazi Era
Sander's first book, Face of our Time, came out in 1929. It had 60 portraits from his People of the 20th Century series. But under the Nazi government, his work became very difficult. In 1936, his book Face of our Time was taken away. The original photo plates were also destroyed.
Around 1942, during World War II, Sander left Cologne. He moved to a small village to keep his important photos safe. His studio in Cologne was destroyed in a bombing raid in 1944. Luckily, tens of thousands of his photo negatives were in a basement and survived the war. However, a fire in 1946 destroyed many of these negatives.
After the war, Sander started taking photos of Cologne again. He wanted to show how the city looked after the bombings.
Later Works and Recognition
In 1953, Sander sold 408 photos of Cologne to the Kölnisches Stadtmuseum. These photos were taken between 1920 and 1939. They were later published in a book called Köln wie es war (Cologne as it was) in 1988.
In 1962, 80 photos from his People of the 20th Century project were published. This book was called Deutschenspiegel. Menschen des 20. Jahrhunderts (German Mirror. People of the 20th Century).
Personal Life and Death
August Sander married Anna Seitenmacher in 1902. They had two sons, Erich and Gunther. They also had twin girls, Sigrid and Helmut, but only Sigrid survived. Anna passed away in 1957.
Their son Erich was arrested by the Nazis in 1934. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Sadly, he died in prison in 1944, just before his sentence ended.
August Sander died in Cologne on April 20, 1964, from a stroke. He was buried next to his son Erich in Cologne's Melaten Cemetery.
Legacy
August Sander's work continues to be important.
- In 1984, he was added to the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum.
- In 1987, his photos were featured in the movie Der Himmel über Berlin (Wings of Desire).
- In 2008, a crater on the planet Mercury was named Sander after him.
- One of his most famous photos, Bricklayer, sold for a very high price in 2014.
Collections
Sander's photographs are kept in major art collections around the world:
- Museum of Modern Art, New York: 748 works
- Tate, UK: 5 prints
Exhibitions
His work has been shown in many important exhibitions:
- August Sander: People of the Twentieth Century—A Photographic Portrait of Germany, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2004
- August Sander, People of the 20th Century, São Paulo Art Biennial, Brazil, 2012
- Portrait.Landscape.Architecture, Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow, 2013
- Portraying a Nation: Germany 1919–1933, Tate Liverpool. This show also included work by Otto Dix.
Images for kids
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Memorial plaque at his residence in Cologne
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Sander's grave, Melaten Cemetery, Cologne
See Also
In Spanish: August Sander para niños
- Ismo Hölttö
