Rudolf Koppitz
1884–1936

RUDOLF KOPPITZ
Bewegungsstudie / Movement Study, 1925
© Estate of the Artist / Courtesy Kicken Berlin
Biography
After a photography apprenticeship and his military service, Rudolf Koppitz (Austrian, 1884–1936) began working at the studio of Dora Kallmus (Madame d’Ora) in Vienna in 1912. It was presumably there that he came into contact with the works of Heinrich Kühn and Hugo Henneberg. That same year Koppitz began his studies at the Graphische Lehr- und Versuchanstalt in Vienna, becoming the assistant of Heinrich Kessler for his professional photography master class in 1913. Koppitz also had contact with artists such as Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, and the painter-photographer Anton Trčka. After serving in World War I, Koppitz returned to the “Graphische” and received a professorship in 1918, and became dean of the photography department in 1930. In 1925 Koppitz created his masterpiece, Bewegungsstudie, "Motion Study" in which he photographed dancers from the Vienna State Opera in the highly decorative and symbolist tradition of the Viennese Jugendstil. Henceforth his photographs were shown in numerous international exhibitions and salons in the second half of the 1920s. In his late work, a portrayal of peasant life in Tyrol that culminated in the vast 1936 exhibition Land und Leute (Country and People), he became a proponent of the so called Heimatphotographie (Homeland photography).
Exhibitions
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HIGHLIGHTSSep 12, 2018 — Feb 28, 2019
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MIXED MEDIA (IV)About the BodyApr 28 — Aug 31, 2018
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MIXED MEDIA (I)About PortraitMar 10 — Apr 24, 2015
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1974… 40 Years. 40 PhotographsSep 20, 2014 — Feb 26, 2015
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RUDOLF KOPPITZ& other European MastersJan 28 — Feb 25, 2012
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Rudolf Koppitz & Heinrich KühnVintage PhotographsMar 09 — May 20, 2002
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Rudolf KoppitzVintage PhotographyApr 23 — Jul 16, 1999
Newsletters
Press
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Berliner Morgenpost: Under the Skin
Aug 23, 2018
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Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: Under the Skin ...
May 05, 2018
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Der Tagesspiegel: Up Close and Personal
Apr 28, 2018
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WELTKUNST: Depth of Focus
Apr 24, 2018
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Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: Mahlstrom der Bilder
Nov 11, 2017
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Le Figaro: Paris Photo, l'aboratoire d'images
Nov 10, 2017
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Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: Museum im Glück
Aug 26, 2013
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Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung: Märchenhaft
Apr 05, 2009
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Die Welt: Licht und Schatten
Feb 05, 2006
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Brennpunkt: Rudolf Koppitz & Heinrich Kühn
Apr 01, 2002
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PROFIFOTO: Rudolf Koppitz + Heinrich Kühn: Vintage Photographs
Mar 01, 2002
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Fotografie Newsletter: Der Galerist Rudolf Kicken im Gespräch
Jan 01, 2002
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Stern: Nackte Wahrheit
Jan 01, 2002
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Welt am Sonntag: Fotografien rücken bei Kunstsammlern in besseres Licht
Dec 07, 1996