The exhibition
The work of this prominent photographer of the late 19th century was showcased in Loschwitz, where he once worked, highlighting the breadth of his artistic output. Alongside views of the town, picturesque landscapes and staged genre scenes, visitors could also discover Kotzsch’s ‘studies from nature’, which straddled the line between late Romanticism and a strikingly modern visual language.
The exhibition was organised to mark the publication of a catalogue raisonné comprising over 1,000 works by Schirmer/Mosel Verlag. The exhibition was complemented by a contemporary artistic interpretation of August Kotzsch by Martin Bertelmann.
The photographer
August Kotzsch, the son of a Loschwitz winegrower, set up business in 1861 as the first professional photographer in Loschwitz. Not only did he document the town’s development from a winegrowing village into a suburban villa district of Dresden, but he also acted as a photographic chronicler of the town. Portraits of the residents of Loschwitz were taken in a makeshift studio in the courtyard of his estate. He captured village life and work in idyllic genre scenes. Whilst these photographs are rather picturesque in character and, both thematically and stylistically, rooted in late Romanticism, there is also an August Kotzsch whose visual language points towards modernism. This is particularly evident in his nature studies, which were his main focus as a photographer. Not least, the still lifes arranged with produce from his garden make Kotzsch, in retrospect, a forerunner of New Objectivity photography.
August Kotzsch enjoyed great success in the 1870s and 1880s with his ‘Studies from Nature’, which were offered as artistic reference sheets. He exhibited these at the 1873 World’s Fair in Vienna and at the 1874 annual exhibition of the Société française de Photographie in Paris. Through collaborations with various publishers, he was able to distribute the study sheets both nationally and internationally.
Jens Bove and Agnes Matthias spoke at the opening on Friday 27 March 2026.
Landmann and Photographer in Loschwitz near Dresden, 1836–1910
: Catalogue Raisonné
Around the middle of the 19th century, the Elbe Valley near Dresden was a popular gathering place for artists due to its scenic beauty. In Loschwitz, which was incorporated into Dresden in 1921, renowned painters, architects and composers would meet to enjoy the summer air. Loschwitz was also the birthplace and place of work of August Kotzsch (1836–1910), who is regarded as the ‘photographer of the German Biedermeier’ and one of the earliest chroniclers of an era whose art and society were shaped by the first incursions of industrialisation into the idyllic world of village life. Rediscovered in the 1980s, August Kotzsch is now being honoured with a comprehensive catalogue raisonné containing more than 1,000 illustrations, produced in collaboration between Schirmer/Mosel, the Loschwitz-Wachwitz Local History Society e. V. and the Deutsche Fotothek.
Published by Schirmer/Mosel; 26 × 22 cm, 520 pages, 1,075 colour illustrations, ISBN 978-3-8596-1025-4 -- €98
Now available at the Leonhardi Museum