Jürgen Schadeberg (18 March 1931Jürgen Schadeberg
South African History Online29 August 2020Ted Botha
Famous Mandela Photographer at Drum Magazine Jürgen Schadeberg Dies
sapeople.com 30 August 2020) was a German-born South African photographer and artist. He photographed key moments in South African history, including iconic photographs such as

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

Robben Island Robben Island ( af, Robbeneiland) is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, north of Cape Town, South Africa. It takes its name from the Dutch word for seals (''robben''), hence the Dutch/Afrik ...

prison. He also lived, worked and taught in London and Spain, and photographed in many African countries. His work is held in the collections of the UK Arts Council, National Portrait Gallery,

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

and the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

in London.

Life

Jürgen Schadeberg was born in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, Germany, in 1931 where he grew up during the

Nazi regime Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In the aftermath of the war, his mother began a relationship with a British officer in the army of occupation and emigrated with him to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

in 1947. Schadeberg learned to be a photographer at the

Deutsche Presseagentur Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH (dpa) is a German news agency founded in 1949. Based in Hamburg, it has grown to be a major worldwide operation serving print media, radio, television, online, mobile phones, and national news agencies. News is avai ...

(German Press Agency). He moved to South Africa to rejoin his family in 1950 and, the following year, found employment on ''

Drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

'' magazine as official photographer and layout artist.Newbury, Darren. "Johannesburg Lunch-Hour 1951–1963: The emergence and development of the humanist photographic essay in Drum magazine." In ''Journalism Studies'' 8 April 2007, pp 584-594. Schadeberg became the senior figure of the group and a teacher and mentor to some of the most creative South African photographers of his time, including

Bob Gosani Bob Gosani (1934–1972) was a South African photographer. Career Gosani started off at '' Drum'' magazine as a messenger but soon moved to the photographic department where he became Jürgen Schadeberg's darkroom assistant. He later became one ...

, Ernest Cole, and later

Peter Magubane Peter Magubane (born 18 January 1932) is a South African photographer. Early life Peter Sexford Magubane was born in Vrededorp, now Pageview, a suburb of Johannesburg, and grew up in Sophiatown. He began taking photographs using a Kodak Browni ...

. As one of the few white photographers who photographed daily life among the black community, he became knowledgeable about black life and culture. As a result, he captured on film the beginnings of the freedom movement, the effects of

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

, and the vibrancy of

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

life. Schadeberg photographed many historic and pivotal events in the 1950s among them the

Defiance Campaign The Defiance Campaign against Unjust Laws was presented by the African National Congress (ANC) at a conference held in Bloemfontein, South Africa in December 1951. The Campaign had roots in events leading up the conference. The demonstrations, ...

of 1952, the 1956

Treason Trial The Treason Trial was a trial in Johannesburg in which 156 people, including Nelson Mandela, were arrested in a raid and accused of treason in South Africa in 1956. The main trial lasted until 1961, when all of the defendants were found not gu ...

, the

Sophiatown Sophiatown , also known as Sof'town or Kofifi, is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. Sophiatown was a black cultural hub that was destroyed under apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "apart ...

removals of 1955, the Sophiatown jazz and social scene, the

Sharpeville Sharpeville (also spelled Sharpville) is a township situated between two large industrial cities, Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging, in southern Gauteng, South Africa. Sharpeville is one of the oldest of six townships in the Vaal Triangle. It was na ...

funeral of 1960, and pictures of

inmates. Some of the famous people he photographed include

Walter Sisulu Walter Max Ulyate Sisulu (18 May 1912 – 5 May 2003) was a South African anti-apartheid activist and member of the African National Congress (ANC). Between terms as ANC Secretary-General (1949–1954) and ANC Deputy President (1991–1994), h ...

Oliver Tambo Oliver Reginald Kaizana Tambo (27 October 191724 April 1993) was a South African anti-apartheid politician and revolutionary who served as President of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1967 to 1991. Biography Higher education Oliv ...

Trevor Huddleston Ernest Urban Trevor Huddleston (15 June 191320 April 1998) was an English Anglican bishop. He was the Bishop of Stepney in London before becoming the second Archbishop of the Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean. He was best known for h ...

, and

Govan Mbeki Govan Archibald Mvuyelwa Mbeki (9 July 1910 – 30 August 2001) was a South African politician, military commander, Communist leader who served as the Secretary of Umkhonto we Sizwe, at its inception in 1961. He was also the son of Chief Sike ...

. He also documented 1950s

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

legends such as

Thandi Klaasen Thandi Klaasen (born Thandiwe Nelly Mpambani, 27 September 1931 – 15 January 2017) was a jazz musician from Sophiatown, Gauteng. She was the mother of singer Lorraine Klaasen. Biography Thandiwe Nelly Mpambani grew up in Sophiatown, the daught ...

Hugh Masekela Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (4 April 1939 – 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and for ...

Kippie Moeketsi Jeremiah "Kippie" Morolong Moeketsi (27 July 1925 – 27 April 1983) was a South African jazz musician, notable as an alto saxophonist. He is sometimes referred to as "the father of South African jazz" and as "South Africa's Charlie Parker".Jürge ...

and

Miriam Makeba Zenzile Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including African popular music, Afropop, jazz, a ...

.Matthew Oxley
The Father of South African Photography - Jürgen Schadeberg
(interview) worldphoto.org 2017A Tribute to the Masters of Photography / Jürgen Schadeberg
leica-camera.com He made documentations of everyday life. When ''Drum'' wanted the singer

Dolly Rathebe Dolly Rathebe ( OIS) (2 April 1928 – 16 September 2004) was a South African musician and actress who performed with the Elite Swingsters jazz band, and in Alf Herbert's ''African Jazz and Variety Show''. Rathebe died on 16 September 2004 f ...

to be the cover girl for one of their issues, Schadeberg took her to a

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

mine dump and photographed her in a

bikini A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit primarily worn by women that features two triangles of fabric on top that cover the breasts, and two triangles of fabric on the bottom: the front covering the pelvis but exposing the navel, and the back coveri ...

. The two were arrested for contravening the

Immorality Act Immorality Act was the title of two acts of the Parliament of South Africa which prohibited, amongst other things, sexual relations between white people and people of other races. The first Immorality Act, of 1927, prohibited sex between whites an ...

which forbade interracial relationships. In 1959, Schadeberg left ''Drum'' to become a

freelancer ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

. He was part of an expedition led by Professor Phillip V. Tobias from the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( o ...

to study the

Bushmen The San peoples (also Saan), or Bushmen, are members of various Khoe, Tuu, or Kxʼa-speaking indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures that are the first cultures of Southern Africa, and whose territories span Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zambia, ...

, publishing images in ''The Kalahari Bushmen Dance'' in 1982. Schadeberg felt forced by increasing civil unrest to leave South Africa, and in 1964 went to London, where he was picture editor of '' Camera Owner'' magazine (forerunner of ''

Creative Camera ''Creative Camera'' (also known as "CC") was a British monthly/bi-monthly magazine devoted to fine art photography and documentary photography. The successor to the very different (hobbyist) magazine '' Camera Owner'' (which had started in 1964), ' ...

''), into which he incorporated a stronger sense of design and increased its pictorial content, and from April to July 1965 he was its editor. He also taught and curated photographic exhibitions in England, notably for the

Whitechapel Art Gallery The Whitechapel Gallery is a public art gallery in Whitechapel on the north side of Whitechapel High Street, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The original building, designed by Charles Harrison Townsend, opened in 1901 as one of the fir ...

. He then moved to Spain where he focused on a career as an artist. In 1972, he returned to Africa where he accepted a position as photographer for

Christian Aid Christian Aid is the relief and development agency of 41 Christian (Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox) churches in the UK and Ireland, and works to support sustainable development, eradicate poverty, support civil society and provide disaster ...

in Botswana and Tanzania. In 1973 he travelled in Senegal, Mali, Kenya and Zaire, taking photographs. In 1985, Schadeberg returned to South Africa, where he lived with his wife Claudia. He continued to work as a photojournalist, and also made documentaries about the black community until 2007, when he returned to Europe.

Death

Schadeberg died from a stroke at his home in ,

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

, Spain, on 29 August 2020, aged 89.Celebrated photographer Jürgen Schadeberg dies, aged 89
''The Citizen'', 30 August 2020

Publications

* ''The Fifties People of South Africa : the lives of some ninety-five people who were influential in South Africa during the fifties, a period which saw the first stirrings of the coming revolution'' / with photos by Bob Gosani ...

t al. T, or t, is the twentieth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is deri ...

Bailey's African Photo Archives, 1987, * ''The Finest photos from the old Drum'', Bailey's African Photo Archives, 1987; Penguin Books istributor * ''The Kalahari Bushmen Dance'', Jürgen Schadeberg, 1982, * ''Nelson Mandela and the Rise of the ANC'' / compiled and edited by Jürgen Schadeberg ; photographs by Ian Berry ...

; text by Benson Dyantyi ...

Jonathan Ball, 1990, * ''Sof'town Blues: images from the black '50s'', J. Schadeberg, 1994, * ''Voices from Robben Island'', Ravan Press, 1994, * ''The Black and White Fifties : Jürgen Schadeberg's South Africa'', Protea, 2001, * ''Soweto today'', Protea Book House, 2002, * ''Who Killed Mr. Drum?'' / Sylvester Stein / photography by Jürgen Schadeberg, Corvo Books, 2003, * ''The Book of Life'', UN Development Programme, 2004, * ''Witness: 52 Years of Pointing Lenses at Life'', Protea Book House, 2004, * ''Voices from the Land'', Protea Book House, 2005, * ''Tales from Jozi'', Protea Book House, 2007, * ''Jürgen Schadeberg'', Hatje Cantz Verlag, edited by Ralf-P. Seippel, 2008, German/English/French,

Film and video

* ''Ernest Cole'' — Video, 52 minutes. The life and work of a courageous and pioneering black photographer * ''Voices from Robben Island'' — 16 mm, 90 minutes. The history of the infamous island prison, a BBC co-production * '' Have You Seen Drum Recently?'' — 35 mm, 77 minutes. The vibrant and turbulent 1950s in South Africa, with original music and photographs from ''Drum'' magazine. * ''The seven ages of music'' — Video, 56 minutes. A musical trip through history, from San singing to

* ''Dolly & the Inkspots'' — Video, 26 minutes. The life and memories of this legendary jazz singing combination

Collections

Schadeberg's work is held in the following permanent collections: *

Arts Council Collection The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both hi ...

, UK: 2 prints (as of September 2020) *

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...

: 8 prints (as of September 2020) *

, London: 3 prints (as of September 2020) *

, London: 2 prints (as of September 2020)

Notes

References

External links

* *
Jürgen Schadeberg
artnet.de
Jürgen Schadeberg's gallery
gallery-seippel.com * Karin Andreasson
Jürgen Schadeberg's best shot: Hans Prignitz's handstand over Hamburg
(interview) ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' 8 May 2014 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schadeberg, Jurgen 1931 births 2020 deaths Photography curators South African photographers German emigrants to South Africa White South African people 20th-century German photographers Photographers from Berlin South African emigrants to Spain Anti-apartheid activists South African exiles