Das alltägliche Leben, Leipzig

Everyday Life, Leipzig from 1945 -1964

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Artist: Karl Heinz Mai 52 image collection

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About this collection

The photographic works of Karl Heinz Mai are among Germany's most important cultural treasures. His extensive documentation of the post-war period up to his early death in 1964, with all the traces of destruction, the everyday lives of the people, and the reconstruction, is unique.

Furthermore, Karl Heinz Mai primarily photographed in Leipzig. Because he worked mostly independently and on his own initiative, he provided us with an uncensored picture of everyday life since 1945 and in the former GDR. This is another unique characteristic of his work.

Ulrich Domröse, the long-time head of the Photographic Collection at the Berlinische Galerie in 2002: “For me, Karl Heinz Mai’s photographs are among the most important photographic achievements of the immediate postwar period. While other prominent German photographers focused on the destruction of war, Karl Heinz Mai dedicated himself entirely to life and reconstruction. With his extraordinary powers of observation, he succeeded in making essential statements about the prevailing mood of life during this time. His expressive power is based primarily on a sensitive perception of postures and physiognomies. Thus, his photographs are far more than everyday documents of life in an extraordinary time. Rather, they are images that vividly and intensely convey the extreme experiences of ordinary people.”

APHEUM is therefore particularly pleased to be able to offer 52 works by Karl Heinz Mai in one collection.

That this is possible is thanks to Karl Detlef Mai, his son. Himself a photographer, he recognized the value of his father's legacy early on, secured it, professionally archived it with his son Andreas Mai, and brought it into the digital age. Since 1980, with the founding of the "Fotothek Mai Leipzig," his life's work has been made known to a wider public. The fact that this important cultural asset is being preserved and cared for by the third generation is a rare occurrence.

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52 photographs
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Karl Heinz Mai: Everyday Life, Leipzig 1945-1964

We are deliberately showing only selected previews to protect the collection.

The photographer

Karl Heinz Mai
Karl Heinz Mai
photographer
Mehr über Karl Heinz Mai
When Detlef Mai was sorting through his father's estate, he found a dedication in one of the many photo diaries, in album 3, addressed to him: "To my son Detlef, so that he can see for himself the senselessness of war and learn from it to preserve human values ​​instead of destroying them!" Karl Heinz Mai knew what he was talking about. Born in 1920, he belonged to the generation that bore the brunt of the Second World War. In 1939, at just 19 years old, he was drafted into military service. In 1941, he was severely wounded and lost both legs. From then on, he could only get around in a wheelchair, a so-called "self-propelled" wheelchair. It testifies to his personal strength and willpower that, despite immense hardship—the loss of his parents' home in the devastating bombing of Leipzig and the collapse of his career—he persevered, made the best of his fate, and dedicated himself to photography. Several publications in existence today reference this story. The photo historian Dr. Diethard Kerbs, one of the first to recognize the significance of Karl Heinz Mai's work, published photographs from Leipzig between 1945 and 1950 in 1985 as part of his highly regarded "Photo Pocket" book series with Dirk Nissen Verlag, Berlin, under the title "Early Years." The first photo book, "Reporter of Everyday Life," was published in 2012 by his grandson, Andreas Mai, with a foreword by Bernd-Lutz Lange, by Pro Leipzig. The latest book, published in 2019 by Lehmstedt Verlag to mark the photographer's 100th birthday, refers to his self-drive vehicle: "Reporter on Three Wheels." His photographs have been shown in over 300 exhibitions, and nearly 200 books contain his work. A 30-minute documentary was available in the ARD media library for three years, as his photographs were also used in film and television. It was in this self-drive vehicle that most of his subjects first met him: children, women clearing rubble after the war, families, couples, working people, the homeless, and the elderly. Even today, we can see the limitations imposed by his wartime experiences in every image. He could only adopt one perspective: that of a seated person. All the more important, then, is the realization that this in no way diminished the quality of his photographs, but rather unconsciously became his trademark. Karl Heinz Mai died far too young in 1964. His war injuries are considered the cause of his death at just 44 years old.

Further information:
www.fotothek-mai.de
Artist website: https://karl-heinz-mai.jimdosite.com/

Vita
Born on February 28, 1920 in Leipzig. 1926-1934 Elementary school. 1934-1937 Vocational school. September 1939 Kirchner & Co. Leipzig, commercial assistant. January 1940 Military service. August 1941 Wounded. Until summer 1943 Military hospital. Summer 1943 Return to parents' home. December 1943 Lost apartment in bombing raid 1943-1945 Asylum in the parsonage Niederwiesa Summer 1945 Return to Leipzig 1945-1949 Lived in parents' house Leipzig-Gohlis 1945-1955 "Mobile" photographer in Leipzig and surrounding area 1945-1955 Documentation of everyday life and reconstruction in Leipzig 1949 Wedding, birth of son 1954-1964 Photos for museums, archives, newspapers, book contributions 1949-1964 Family lived in Leipzig-Möckern May 9, 1964 Died during a weekend stay in Reinharz

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