Museum Rietberg's first photography curator rethinks colonial-era images
In 2018, Nanina Guyer became Museum Rietberg's inaugural curator of photography, reshaping its management of nearly 50,000 images. Established in 1952 with Baron Eduard von der Heydt's collection, the museum features 32,600 artifacts from diverse regions. Guyer has broadened the collection's focus to include non-Western portraiture, securing two significant African studio photography archives: Collection Christraud M Geary and Collection Behrend. Additionally, she obtained works by Frida Orupabo for the exhibition 'A Kind of Paradise' (16 April – 06 September). With a background in anthropology, Guyer highlights non-Western photography practices and critiques colonial postcards, promoting a polycentric photographic history while noting the decline of physical prints since the early 2000s due to digital phones.
Key facts
- Nanina Guyer appointed in 2018 as Museum Rietberg's first curator of photography and head of the photo archive.
- Museum Rietberg holds 32,600 objects and nearly 50,000 photographs.
- Guyer acquired Collection Christraud M Geary (4,500 postcards) and Collection Behrend of African studio photography.
- Heike Behrend co-curated 'Snap Me One!' in the late 1990s with Tobias Wendel.
- Guyer acquired works by Frida Orupabo for the collection.
- Exhibition 'A Kind of Paradise – Colonial-Era Photography in Contemporary Art' runs 16 April – 06 September.
- Guyer's PhD studied historical photographs by women in Sierra Leone and their use of photography to extend rituals.
- Guyer advocates for a polycentric history of photography, moving away from Western-centric narratives.
Entities
Artists
- Nanina Guyer
- Frida Orupabo
- Heike Behrend
- Tobias Wendel
- Christraud M. Geary
- Baron Eduard von der Heydt
- Raphaël Barontini
- Tshepiso Moropa
- Omar Said Bakor
- Narankara Mistry
- Purshotam Mistry
Institutions
- Museum Rietberg
- City of Zurich
- National Museum of African Art
- Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives
- 1854 Photography
Locations
- Zurich
- Switzerland
- Mombasa
- Kenya
- Lamu
- Sierra Leone
- Germany
- America