One of the most important historical exhibitions in Europe can be found at MASI, Lugano until 2 July 2023. The Museo d'arte della Svizzera italiana (MASI) in Lugano is showing the exhibition "Werner Bischof. Unseen Colour": Werner Bischof (Zurich, 1916 - Truijllo, Peru, 1954) was one of the great masters of photographic reportage of the 20th century. He was known worldwide above all for his black-and-white photo reportages. 

The surprising thing is the colour photos. Bishop's eldest son Marco had discovered the "hidden treasure" in his father's archive. For the first time ever, 100 digital colour prints of original negatives from the years 1939 to 1950, which were restored for the occasion, are on display at the MASI. In 2016, Marco Bischof found hundreds of 6.5 x 9 cm glass plate negatives in his father's archive that had the appearance of black and white photos. Each photo had three seemingly identical negatives. Marco discovered that they had different intensities. Each image consisted of three black and white glass negatives. And these were then converted into a colour image through a complex process.

The tour of the exhibition is conceived as a journey through world regions that Bishop visited or lived in. "Unseen Colour" covers the entire time frame of his career and alternates between unpublished images taken with three cameras: a Rolleiflex, a handy Leica and a bulky Devin Tri-Color camera with a three-colour process. The subjects of the photographs range from formal experiments in the early creative years to studio and fashion photography, from shots of post-war Europe to images from the Far East, photo reportages from the USA to his last trip to South America, where he unfortunately met with an accident.

Bischof began documenting post-war Europe for the renowned Swiss magazine "Du". The exhibition features one of the photographer's most famous and controversial images: the face of a child from Roermond in the Netherlands, covered with numerous scars caused by an exploding booby trap. The colour image appeared on the cover of the May 1946 issue of "Du" and provoked outraged and angry reactions. The colour photos taken in 1946 of Berlin, Cologne and Dresden and other destroyed cities convey an atmosphere of wait-and-see stasis with their cropped images that contrast sharply with the details and colours. From the early 1940s to the early 1950s, Bischof photographed with a Rolleiflex 6x6. From the photographs taken in parts of Europe - from Sardinia to Poland - to those taken on his long trip to Asia in 1951, colour becomes a means of expressing states of mind.

Fascinated by the spiritual richness of the island and in search of a more profound approach, he experienced a high point of his career there. He produced the book Japon, which is also on show in the exhibition and which was awarded the Prix Nadar in 1955. From 1953 onwards, he produced his "American photographs", taken with a handy Leica on a trip through the USA.

Bischof was also impressed by the Inca culture on his trip to Peru, which he captured with a Leica. During the trip through South America, which the photographer describes as a "great journey", his life is abruptly ended by a tragic accident in the Andes in May 1954. Among the many unanswered questions about his work is the question of what role colour might have played in the life of such a talented photographic artist.

17 April 2023

"My fathers work is sometimes positioned as “Humanistic Photojournalism” and the quality of his images is certainly the fact that he was combining form and content."

Can you describe again for the readers how this exhibition came about?

Many years these pictures have been sleeping in the archive. And as they are glas negatives I had a certain respect to handle them. But about 5 years ago I tried to make an effort and started to explore these images - of which each subject has three, more or less identical pictures. With the help of some specialists and a lot of error and trial we achieved the first test prints. Then with the help of MASI we could start to plan and produce an exhibition and a book. So now after many years (in between we also had Corona) we fished this absolute new landmark in Werner Bischof legacy!

"Of course he was looking for beauty, but it always had to have an ethical message."

What is the relevance of your father's work, especially in the context of the global situation?

My fathers work is sometimes positioned as “Humanistic Photojournalism” and the quality of his images is certainly the fact that he was combining form and content. Of course he was looking for beauty, but it always had to have an ethical message. Travelling the world - which was very rare in the 50-ies - he was also looking for similarity in diversity of people all over the planet.

What criteria did you use to select MASI Lugano for this major exhibition?

To show the new and unexpected. Being always this black and white classic of the 20th century, maybe his legacy has to be newly evaluated?

I am also particularly impressed by your father's photographs of children. What would you consider your father's most important achievement?

He certainly had a good eye for children - which after WW II - symbolised hope and future. This also goes back to his wife Rosellina, who influenced him strongly. In a short sentence I would say he was an adventures with an ethic, who created images of his time with great humanistic values.

What is it like for you personally to preserve such a great legacy?

A great honour and a roadmap - in this crazy world - for us all.

Do you have a photograph that moves you most personally?

No - Sorry - There are too many...

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Werner Bischof at the MASI ©Werner Bischof Estate

Werner Bischof at the MASI ©Werner Bischof Estate