The Carlo Maria Martini Diocesan Museum in Milan presents the exhibition ‘Werner Bischof. Point of View’, which, 110 years after his birth, offers a comprehensive overview of the life and work of the Swiss photographer, one of the most important photojournalists of the 20th century. A member of the Magnum Photos agency since 1949, Bischof (Zurich, 1916 – Trujillo, Peru, 1954) distinguished himself through a profoundly humanistic approach to photojournalism, combining documentary rigour with poetic intensity.
The exhibition comprises 200 original vintage photographs, accompanied by a series of contact sheets and a documentary which, with a perspective that remains extraordinarily relevant today, recount history with empathy, care and deep respect for human dignity.
The exhibition is organised into four chronological sections that trace the key stages of Bischof’s career: ‘Switzerland 1932–1944’ recounts his formative years and early experiments; ‘Europe 1945–1950’ brings together photographs documenting Europe devastated by the Second World War, a theme that profoundly shaped the artist’s work and vision; Asia 1949–1953 brings together the photo-essays produced in India, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Indochina; finally, North and South America 1953–1954 bears witness to Bischof’s final phase of exploration, with his new visual explorations across the American continent.
Immediacy and expressive power characterise every photograph by Bischof, whose constant striving for a profound interpretation
