In 2000 a small band of committed friends and patrons came together to accompany the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin along the path to a museum for photography. Since then, the Verein der Freunde des Museums für Fotografie has supported the cause of photography with numerous projects. In particular, the Verein assists in the realisation of the exhibitions and projects of the Sammlung Fotografie der Kunstbibliothek.

Thus the Sammlung Fotografie became the recipient of permanent loans of works by famous artists such as Aenne Biermann, Otto Steinert or Candida Höfer. This has made it possible to link the avant-garde of the 1920s, which was collected early on, to important positions in contemporary photography, passing via the revival of the avant-garde after World War II. In addition, several members of the Verein have enriched the collection through generous donations.

The collections of the Karl-Steinorth-Bibliothek, now integrated into the Kunstbibliothek, have been repaired with the its financial support. Verein funds have also enabled the Museum für Fotografie to set up a room for seminars and presentations, which also contains a reference library that is open to visitors during Verein opening hours on Wednesday afternoons. November 2008 saw support for the symposium ‘Photography in the Museum’, which offered a concentrated and informative perspective on the European photographic museum landscape. In September 2011 the Verein financed a symposium on press photography, at which aspects of the history of media and current affairs from the 1960s until today where presented and discussed. The sponsorship relationship includes support for regular series of talks on the exhibitions in the Kaisersaal. The Verein was able to give especially active support to the summer 2013 exhibition ‘The Naked Truth and More Besides – Nude Photography around 1900’.

The Verein der Freunde des Museums für Fotografie aims to continue to give financial and advisory support to photography in Berlin, to organise presentations and artist talks in the museum, to sponsor exhibition projects and to help people access the Sammlung Fotographie. In doing these things, it depends entirely on the dedication of its members and of new friends of the Museum für Fotographie. The Verein applies itself exclusively and directly to non-profit purposes. We cordially invite you to become a member of the Verein der Freunde des Museums für Fotografie e.V. and will gladly supply you with further information.

Contact

Verein der Freunde des Museums für Fotografie e.V.
Chairperson: Dr. Wilhelm Hartung
Jebensstraße 2
10623 Berlin
Germany

Website: freundederfotografie.berlin
Phone: +49 30 31864834
E-Mail: vfmf[at]smb.spk-berlin.de