structures and the encounters and gestures of
human beings. The strong impact of his photo-
graphs was due to a photographic language that
was uncommon and both aesthetically and for-
mally well-calculated: it went counter to contem-
porary cliche ́s. The publisher Edition Leipzig
wanted to publish this series under the titleSitua-
tion Berlin. The evaluation of his experiences of
the West were more or less in conformity with
GDR authorities, but not his aesthetics; and the
building of the Wall in 1961 became a pretext for
banning the book. The series reappeared 40 years
later, following the wall’s dismantling.
An often quoted, important experience for Fis-
cher was his encounter with Robert Frank’s works,
and especially his bookThe Americans of 1958.
Frank’s passionate photographic language and his
conception of street photography encouraged Fis-
cher to continue in this vein. He felt supported
in his approach to search for the symbolic aspects
in the fleeting nature of everyday situations. A
further inspiration for Fischer and some of his
colleagues was Rene ́Burri’s bookDie Deutschen,
published in 1962, which was conceptually similar
to Frank’s works.
It was by accident that Fischer joined the fashion
and cultural magazineSibyllein 1962. Until 1985,
he published photographs in its pages which for-
mally qualified as fashion photography, although
he never saw himself as a fashion photographer.
Partly due to his and Thea Melis’s work, the ap-
pearance of the magazine changed radically in the
1960s. Through a new concept and altered imagery
of fashion photography, it wanted to establish a
more realistic self-representation of society, and
traditional ‘‘puppet poses’’ were abolished. Ele-
ments of live photography were adapted to the pre-
sentation of fashion photography: moments of
movement, background as authentic environment,
withdrawn depiction of fashion. These features
were nothing new internationally, but gave a com-
pletely different appearance to fashion photogra-
phy in the GDR. For a long time,Sibylleremained
a forum for the otherwise hardly conceivable pub-
lication of such photography in the GDR.
Arno Fischer, always conceiving of photography
in social and cultural terms, also saw himself as a
teacher and mediator of photography. Especially in
this context, his charisma has fully revealed itself:
during all these years he has constantly had a circle
of pupils and admirers around him. His lectures on
photography resemble conversations about this
medium. It is one of his greatest talents to mobilise
the energies and trigger the independent artistic
development of others. In this way, he has become
an example to many photographers.
FRANZISKASCHMIDTSeealso:Burri, Rene ́; Frank, Robert; Photography
in Europe: Germany and Austria; The Decisive
MomentBiography
Born in Berlin, Germany, 14 April 1927; Apprenticeship
in carpentry. Study of sculpure in East and West Ber-
lin, Artschool Berlin-Weißensee and Hochschule der
Ku ̈nstein Berlin-Charlottenburg, 1948–1953; work as
a photolab technican. Decision for photography, Ber-
lin, 1947–1953; assistant to Klaus Wittkugel at the art
school in Berlin-Weißensee, 1956; first assistant with
lectureship, 1957–1971; Fischer’s bookSituation Berlin
was not published because the wall was built, 1961.
Worked as photographer and publicist for the maga-
zineSibylle, Berlin, 1961; founded together with other
photographers the group Direkt, in the mid-1960s;
assignment at theHochschule fu ̈r Grafik und Buchkunst
in Leipzig (HGB), 1972–1974; founded the work group
Fotografiein theVerband Bildender Ku ̈nstlerof the
GDR, 1981; lectureship at the HGB, Leipzig, 1983–
1985; professor for artistic photography, HGB Leipzig,
1985–1992; individual exhibition at the ‘‘Recontres Inter-
nationales de la Photogaphie’’ in Arles, France, 1987;
teacher and artistic director of the classFotografieat the
HGB Leipzig, 1992–1993; assignment for press journal-
ism at theFachhochschule Dortmund, 1990–2000; award
Dr. Erich Salomon of the Deutschen Gesellschaft fu ̈r
Photographie (DGPh), 2000; living and working in Gran-
see near Berlin.Individual Exhibitions
1958 Warszawa, Poland (together with Evelyn Richter)
1967 Am Wege; Fotogalerie, Bratislava, CSSR
1978 Kunstmuseum Vienna, Austria
1979 Galerie Berlin; East Berlin, Germany
1983 Indien; Club der Kulturschaffenden der DDR, East
Berlin, Germany
AltDelhi-Neu Delhi; Galerie Sophienstraße 8, East
Berlin, Germany
1985 Fotografien aus vier Jahrzehnten; Fotogalerie am Hel-
singforser Platz, East Berlin, Germany
1987 Recontres Internationales de la Photographie, Arles,
France
1988 Akademie der Ku ̈nste, East Berlin, Germany
1989 Braga, Portugal
1991 Almeria, Spain
1991 Galerie im Margarethenhof, Ko ̈nigswinter, Germany
(together with Ulrich Wu ̈st)
1993 Omes da Fotografia, Lisbon, Portugal
1995 Laurence Miller Gallery, New York, United States
1996 Arno Fischer und Schu ̈ler; Galerie GAFF, Rotenburg/
Wu ̈mme, Germany
1997 Arno Fischer. Photographien; 4. Internationale Foto-
tage Herten, Germany, and travelingFISCHER, ARNO