Max Graf (photographer)

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The photographer Max Graf in action. Photographed by the works photographer J. Brügger in 1966

Max Graf (born December 11, 1923 in Schaffhausen ; † November 14, 1997 there ) was a Swiss photographer .

Photo by Max Graf: Peltonrad
Workers in the steel foundry photographed by Max Graf in 1964

Life

Max Graf first worked as a core maker and electric welder at Georg Fischer AG before focusing on his specialty photography. From 1956 to 1969 he was a works photographer at Georg Fischer. With his knowledge and experience, he earned the federal master's degree as a photographer, which he completed in 1966. In 1970 he went freelance as a photographer, but kept coming back to his first employer, Georg Fischer AG. In addition, he worked for numerous Swiss industrial companies: For example, for Sulzer AG, Rieter AG, Cilag, Geberit AG, Alusuisse AG, SIG Neuhausen, Knorr AG. Foreign assignments took him to numerous countries in Europe and Asia.

plant

Max Graf documented the entire working world of Georg Fischer AG: Production in Schaffhausen, product photography for customs formalities or the research department, but he was also interested in social life and took photos of anniversary trips and Christmas parties. He was particularly impressed by the steel foundry in Mühlental , where the large steel castings were made. There were particularly impressive recordings. The corporate archive of Georg Fischer AG comprises 15,000 photographs from the years 1952 to 1989. In addition to his photographic work, he also produced advertising and industrial films for Swiss industrial companies. Max Graf bequeathed his extensive private archive to the Schaffhausen City Archives. It comprises 878 different positions.

Max Graf used a wide range of photographic tools: large format cameras from Sinar , medium format cameras from Hasselblad and 35 mm cameras from Alpa and Nikon . For his industrial films he used cameras from Eclair and Beaulieu and a Nagra tape recorder from the Kudelski company . His photographic work is documented and secured, but has not been scientifically processed to this day (as of 2019). It is an important cultural and historical source for the industrial and social history of Switzerland.

Exhibitions

  • 1983 Schaffhausen, Museum zu Allerheiligen , Contemporary European Photography (group exhibition October 8 - November 20, 1983)
  • 1995 Schaffhausen

Publications

  • Derek Bennet, Derek: Contemporary European Photography, Schaffhausen, Kunstverein 1983. Catalog for the group exhibition in the Museum zu Allerheiligen Schaffhausen.
  • Franziska Eggimann: Lively industry. View of the corporate archive of Georg Fischer AG. Zurich, Verlag Hier und Jetzt 2018. ISBN 978-3-03919-427-8
  • 100 years GF in Kostergut Paradies. From farm to cultural monument. In: Ferrum news from the iron library, Georg Fischer AG Foundation. Volume 90, 2018. pp. 108-118.
  • Historical Association of the Canton of Schaffhausen: Schaffhausen Cantonal History of the 19th and 20th Century (3 vol.), Schaffhausen, Historical Association of the Canton of Schaffhausen 2001–2002.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Curriculum vitae of Max Graf. City archive of Schaffhausen
  2. ^ Max Graf estate. City archive of Schaffhausen. Signature J 08.
  3. ^ Curriculum vitae of Max Graf. City archive of Schaffhausen
  4. ^ Entry on Max Graf in FotoCH, Repertory on the History of Photography in Switzerland
personal data
SURNAME Graf, Max
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss photographer
DATE OF BIRTH December 11, 1923
PLACE OF BIRTH Schaffhausen
DATE OF DEATH November 14, 1997
Place of death Schaffhausen