Typologien: 600 Works by 25 German Photographers at Fondazione Prada Milan

Fondazione Prada in Milan presents 'Typologien: Photography in 20th-century Germany', a major exhibition curated by Susanne Pfeffer, director of MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt. Featuring over 600 works by 25 photographers including Andreas Gursky, Candida Höfer, Wolfgang Tillmans, Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, Karl Blossfeldt, Lotte Jacobi, Thomas Struth, Bernd and Hilla Becher, and August Sander, the show spans from 1906 to the 2000s. Despite its title referencing typology—a classification method from botany—Pfeffer subverts rigid categorization, instead arranging works by poetic and musical affinities. The exhibition occupies both floors of the Podium space, with images suspended on panels forming a soft labyrinth, alternating formats, techniques, and colors. Pfeffer notes that the typological principle paradoxically reveals unexpected analogies across generations while highlighting individual approaches. The show reflects on photography's role in defining phenomena and organizing visible manifestations amid today's complex social and cultural realities. August Sander's series aiming to portray German society through categories exemplifies the typological approach, while Pfeffer emphasizes the need for silence and clarity in a brutal present.