L. Fritz Gruber (1908-2005) was a central figure in the German photography industry. With Bruno Uhl he founded the Photokina trade fair and DGPh (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie e.V) in 1951. But he played an equally important role in the distribution of photography, within Germany and beyond.

Gruber forged a link with several artists, whom he exhibited in the cultural part of Photokina. This was how Gruber and his wife Renate met and became friends with Man Ray, shortly after the artist’s return to Paris in 1951. Their friendship would last until the photographer’s death in 1976. Together they acquired many prints and developed an important correspondence containing exceptional documents like this series of fifty contact prints of portraits of Lee Miller, Jean Cocteau, Max Ernst, Pablo Picasso, Dora Maar and other important figures of the 20th century. There’s also 37 contact prints of rayographs. These will prove to be valuable material for researchers hoping to document the man and his work.

Bernard Perrine

Man Ray, The Renate et L. Fritz Gruber Collection
Until May, 5th 2013
Musée Ludwig
Heinrich-Böll-Platz
50667 Köln
Germany
Tuesday - Sunday 10am-6pm
+49 221 221 26165
info@museum-ludwig.de