Herlinde Koelbl took twenty-three portraits of Angela Merkel. The setting was always the same: a white wall, a chair, and no instructions from the photographer. The photos document Angela Merkel's ascent from "Kohl's girl" to the world's most powerful female head of government.
The first photos were taken merely two years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Merkel, who had graduated with a PhD in Physics in East Germany, had just been appointed Minister for Women and Youth. The last pictures were taken shortly before Chancellor Angela Merkel decided to leave the political scene after 16 years in office.
Herlinde Koelbl took one headshot and a three-quarter-length shot. She did not only document the physical, but also the psychological transformation. What did Merkel learn, how did she have to change in order to persevere, to survive politically? What impact did politics have on her private life? The photographic artist did not only manage to capture Merkel's personality with her camera, the usually extremely reserved politician answered Koelbl's questions with astonishing openness. Each photograph is accompanied by a quotation.
Herlinde Koelbl
She is mainly known for her long-term projects, which expose social settings and therefore often break social taboos. Her Merkel portraits are a continuation of her long-term study "Traces of Power" - for this project she took photographs of famous politicians - and at the same time a journey through the era of Angela Merkel. With her photographs Koelbl demonstrates her outstanding ability to get close to people.
A Herlinde Koelbl exhibition in cooperation with the DHM (German Historical Museum), presented by Stadthaus Ulm.
Curated by: Andrea Kreuzpointner and Dr. Raimund Kast
Opening: Sunday, 2 February 2025, 11:30am
Livestream on Stadthaus – YouTube
Guided tours:
Sunday, 16 February 2025, 3:30pm
Thursday, 10 April 2025, 6pm