Exhibition: Edith Tudor-Hart

[Rob MacKillop]

So, who is Edith Tudor-Hart?

From the exhibition promo:

During the 1930s photography became implicated in the vital political and social questions of the era as never before. A key exponent was the Viennese-born photographer Edith Tudor-Hart, who left Austria for Britain after being arrested for her political activities in 1933. Having trained at the Bauhaus she pursued a career as a documentary and portrait photographer, covering issues of poverty, social division and child welfare in Vienna, London, Tyneside, Wales and Scotland.

Tudor-Hart’s photography constitutes a sophisticated Realism, marked by its directness and capacity to communicate. Notoriously, she also worked as a low-level agent for the Soviets in both Austria and Britain and was pursued by the security services until her death in 1973. The exhibition includes remarkable black and white photographs capturing the politically-charged atmosphere of interwar Vienna, Britain during the slump of the 1930s, and Tudor-Hart’s psychologically penetrating imagery of children during the post-war years.

Looking forward to seeing the exhibition in Edinburgh over the weekend, hopefully.

I couldn't grab an image from the site,, so here's a link:

Highlights − Edith Tudor-Hart − Exhibitions − What's On − National Galleries of Scotland

 

[Nihat Iyriboz]

Thanks for sharing, Rob

 

[Pete Askew]

Thanks Rob. Did you get to the exhibition?

 

[Rob MacKillop]

No. But I hope to on Saturday. Will report back.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Well, this is a magnificent exhibition. I had to drag Rhona to it, but she ended up really appreciating it too. There was a lot of wall space dedicated to about 60 or so beautifully printed images. Tudor-Hart was committed to capturing poverty and injustice wherever she found herself - Nazi Vienna, Welsh coal mining villages or a Scottish school for mentally ill children. I never felt she was exploiting the hardship, or on a campaign trail - she just saw it before her, and brought it to the readership of various periodicals and newspapers.

The publisher failed to get the exhibition book out on time, so I couldn't buy a copy. However, it is on pre-order on Amazon, but at £35 is a bit prohibitive. If I'm feeling flush I'll certainly buy a copy, as I was quite moved by many of the images. And I was also struck by the beauty of the silver prints - you guys will know more about that process than I, but they are stunning to just let your eye drift over.

Congratulations to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh for staging the first exhibition of her work.

I managed to download a few images, but they pale by comparison to the quality of the exhibits - the second might remind you of cookoo clocks and the Borgias: