Maria Netter's Candid Exhibition Photography at Ausstellungsraum Klingental

Ausstellungsraum Klingental in Basel presents an exhibition of photographs by Maria Netter (1917–1982), the Swiss art critic who documented exhibitions with a Leica M3, freehand, without tripod or flash. Her black-and-white 35mm shots capture not only artworks but also the human comedy of gallery spaces: visitors, cleaners, dealers. The show argues that her imperfect, blurred images preserve the ephemeral atmosphere of exhibitions more authentically than polished contemporary documentation. Netter, born in Berlin, fled to Basel in 1936, studied at the University of Basel, wrote for Basler Nachrichten, National-Zeitung, Das Werk, and Graphis, served on Art Basel's expert committee from 1970, and co-directed Kunsthalle Basel (1976–78). Her archive of some 20,000 items is held by SIK-ISEA in Zurich. The exhibition is supported by Fondation Calouste Gulbenkian, Stiftung Anne-Marie Schindler, and SIK-ISEA.