Valentin Schwab

Valentin Schwab (born July 27, 1948 in Arnstein ; † February 16, 2012 in Würzburg ) was a German photographer and filmmaker .

life and work

Valentin Schwab was born on July 27, 1948, as one of nine children in Arnstein. After training as an inland navigation operator, his second profession was that of reprographic . He then studied film, photography and television at the Kassel Art College . From 1978 he worked as a freelance documentary photographer and filmmaker. After completing his studies, he settled back in his native Lower Franconia .

In the 1980s, Schwab was a cameraman in several crisis areas around the world. His friend Eberhard Fiebig wrote about him after his death: “Valentin saw it as his duty to go where people were fighting to improve their living conditions. In order to stand by them in the fight according to his means. "

Schwab, the pacifist, was present in five wars around the world. In Eritrea , Nicaragua , El Salvador , Lebanon and South Africa . Always risking his life, he was wounded twice. He took great risks and just got away with his life several times.

Under the direction of Manfred Vosz he made the documentaries: “ The Naked Feet of Nicaragua ” (1983), “Mothers, Dollars and a War - The Battle for El Salvador” (1984), and “Goethe in D” (1986).

In 1991 Schwab received a visiting professorship in Havana , Cuba . The topic was "Introduction to image culture and image design with the film camera".

Schwab won several prizes for his own photographs. An important project were the photographs about life in the countryside in Lower Franconia, his "Hommage à Franconia". He showed the change in the landscape, the working methods in daily life, in architecture . In 1999/2000 works from this complex were shown in the exhibition "LebensRäume" in the municipal gallery in Würzburg. Photos of him could be seen in the exhibition “Heimspiel” (2005) and in the exhibition “Zimmer, Küche, Bad” (2011/2012). Some of his works were bought by the Museum Kulturspeicher in Würzburg in 2009 .

After a serious illness, Schwab died on February 16, 2012.

Filmography

• 1975: The art belongs to the people (short documentary film)
• 1976: Evidence of a liberation movement (short documentary film)
• 1983: The Bare Feet of Nicaragua (documentary)
• 1985: Goethe in D. (documentary film)
• 1986: Mothers, Dollars and a War - The Struggle for El Salvador (Documentary)

literature

• Valentin Schwab. Living spaces. Documentary photography. Edited by Marlene Lauter with a contribution by: Beate Reese , Städtische Galerie Würzburg. November 20, 1999 - January 30, 2000, ISBN 3-928155-42-3 . (on the occasion of the exhibition "LebensRäume" in the Städtische Galerie , Würzburg)

Web links

• Valentin Schwab in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Valentin Schwab at filmportal.de