When does the exhibition take place?

The exhibition starts on 19.09.2026 at 10:00 AM at the Jena Art Collection.

How much does admission cost?

Regular admission is 5 Euros, reduced 3 Euros.

Where is the Jena Art Collection located?

At Markt 7 in the center of Jena, right at the historic marketplace.

What are the opening hours?

The Jena Art Collection is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM, closed on Mondays.

Are there educational offerings or tours?

Yes, the Jena Art Collection offers guided tours and educational programs. Specific dates and formats are provided according to the current program information of the house.

Is the exhibition suitable for photography enthusiasts?

Yes, the presentation is particularly aimed at those who appreciate documentary photography, portrait art, and art-historical contexts.

Frank Gaudlitz: Photography full of Intimacy, History, and Quiet Power in Jena

Name: FRANK GAUDLITZ
Start: 2026-09-19T12:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-09-20T19:00:00+02:00
Location: Kunstsammlung Jena

Frank Gaudlitz at the Jena Art Collection: Photography between Intimacy, Time, and Reality

With Frank Gaudlitz, the Jena Art Collection presents an exhibition that understands photography not merely as representation but as a precise contemplation of humanity, history, and the present. The presentation focuses on series related to Eastern Europe and South America, offering an artistic experience that combines documentary rigor with poetic condensation.

Photography as a Historical Stance

Frank Gaudlitz has been working for decades on sequences of images where reality, staging, and current events intertwine. His works arise from long-term observation, from travel, and from the willingness to approach the life situations of the portrayed subjects. Thus, the photographs unfold a silent authority: They do not observe from the outside but seek dialogue with people and their environments.

Eastern Europe and South America in Focus

The exhibition highlights two major bodies of work. In the series on Eastern Europe, political upheavals, social tensions, and biographical traces are condensed into images of high historical depth. In contrast, the South American photographs open up a further resonance space, where landscape, still life, and portrait merge into a finely balanced visual narrative. This juxtaposition adds to the allure of the exhibition: here, social analysis meets aesthetic experience.

The Atmosphere of the Exhibition

In the spaces of the Jena Art Collection, the photographs exert their special effect between light, surface, and concentration. The interplay of proximity and distance, of eye contact and observation, creates a calm exhibition atmosphere. Those who view the works encounter not just individual motifs, but an art-historical engagement with the conditions of the visible.

A Museum with Profile

The Jena Art Collection is one of the important places for modern and contemporary art in Thuringia. The collection includes more than 10,000 works from painting, graphics, photography, video, sculpture, and object art, and is strongly rooted in the art of the 20th and 21st centuries. Thus, it provides the ideal setting for an exhibition that takes photography as a cultural practice and as a form of contemporary description seriously.

Education, Tours, and Visit

The Jena Art Collection is centrally located at the historic market and is easily accessible by bus, tram, and on foot. The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. For the exhibition, guided tours and educational formats are offered that deepen access to the visual worlds of Frank Gaudlitz and accompany them educationally.

Frank Gaudlitz at the Jena Art Collection is an exhibition for all who wish to experience photography as a reflection of political reality and as a sensual form of knowledge. Those who engage with these visual worlds discover a quiet, intense, and moving artistic experience that lingers long after. A visit in person is definitely worthwhile.