In the Footsteps of Edith Tudor-Hart

As part of the retrospective of the photographer Edith Tudor-Hart, FOTOHOF traces the life of the famous photographer and spy in a commented presentation of film clips. Peter Stephan Jungk, author of the biography »Die Dunkelkammern der Edith Tudor-Hart«, will take part in the discussion. Lillian Birnbaum, photographer and producer of the film »Tracking Edith«, which was made on the basis of this book. Manfred Mittermayer, a literary scholar who studies the author’s work, will lead the discussion.
The event will take place as part of the exhibition in the FOTOHOF>GALLERY. There will be an opportunity to visit the exhibition before and after the discussion. The discussion will focus on the extent to which Edith Tudor-Hart was active as a spy against Great Britain and for the Soviet Union and how her attitude as a socially committed photographer and as a politically aware contemporary can be reconciled.
Edith Tudor-Hart (born Edith Suschitzky) was a central protagonist of social documentary photography between 1930 and 1955. She drew attention to social grievances, dealt with topics such as poverty, integration and women’s rights and depicted the living conditions of the working class. Her work was influenced by the New Vision style and made an important contribution to the depiction of progressive educational methods, modernist architecture and modern dance. Born into a Jewish family in Vienna and a staunch communist, her life was marked by political persecution and personal misfortune. Throughout her life, Edith Tudor-Hart fought against the rise of fascism and the marginalization of minorities, combining personal attitudes with the social image of her time in her work.