This will mark the first solo show in an American gallery for this important post-war German photographer and will include groupings of works from series such as Waffenruhe (Ceasefire), Ein-heit (U-ni-ty) and Frauen (Women), as well as individual images from Stadtbilder (Cityscapes) and Naturbilder (Landscapes).

Schmidt’s images are concerned with the burden of history and the uncertainty of memory. In his photographs of urban architecture, which are not simply physical landscapes but social ones as well, he provides a formally balanced but menacing portrait of the modern metropolis. These flawless, faceless poured-concrete forms contrast with Schmidt’s stark images of German youth and middle age. In his work, Schmidt often appropriates images, re-photographing artwork, film stills and old newspaper photos. The meaning of Schmidt’s photography lies in the interplay between adjacent images. In his photo essays and exhibitions, he creates sequences and groupings of photographs that tell more in tandem than they ever could apart. The rich variety of German photography is apparent in this work, which draws equally on August Sander’s portraiture and Bernd and Hilla Bechers’ seriality