Wikipedia

Karsten Thormaehlen

Karsten Thormaehlen (born 28 July 1965) is a German photographer, editor and creative director. He lives and works in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Karsten Thormaehlen
Thormaehlen in Ötztal, Tyrol, Austria, 2015
Born (1965-07-28) 28 July 1965 (age 59)
Bad Kreuznach, Rhineland-Palatinate, West Germany
(now Germany)
EducationFachhochschule Wiesbaden (now RheinMain University of Applied Sciences), 1988–1993, Wiesbaden, Germany
Occupation(s)portrait photographer, still life photographer, Creative director
Years active1985–present
Known forPortraits of Centenarians
StylePurism, beauty of aging, Documentary photography
Spouse(s)Michaela Thormaehlen
(2000–present)
Websitewww.karstenthormaehlen.com

Early life and education

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Thormaehlen grew up in Bad Kreuznach and Bingen am Rhein. After a commercial apprenticeship and civilian service he studied Philosophy, Art History, Political science and Graphic Design in Mainz and Wiesbaden, where he graduated with honors in 1993.[1]

Photography

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Between 1994 and 1998 he worked as an art director and photographer for a German owner-managed advertising agency in New York City, where he developed advertising campaigns and directed TV commercials.

Thormaehlen's freelance portrait projects include Jahrhundertmensch[2] (2008), Happy at Hundred[3] (2011), Aging Gracefully (2017) and Silver Heroes[4] (2009). They have been published as books and have been exhibited in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Japan. Thormaehlen's works "Erika E., born in 1910", and "Susannah M. Jones, at age 116", were chosen for the exhibitions by the National Portrait Gallery in London as part of the 2011 and 2016 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prizes. His work has been included in The Guardian.[5]

He works as a commercial photographer, taking portraits. Since 2010, he has worked as an assistant professor, lecturer and guest speaker at various universities, academies and photo festivals, including RheinMain University, the Academy of Visual Arts Frankfurt and Fürstenecker Fototage.[6]

In 2021, his first solo exhibition Not Another Second[7] was shown at the art gallery of The Watermark at Brooklyn Heights and will tour to Los Angeles, Napa, California and Tucson, Arizona in 2021.[citation needed]

Family

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Thormaehlen was born into a family with many influential personalities of Germany's 20th century art scene. His great-grandfather Emil Thormaehlen (1859–1941) was an architect and principal of the arts and crafts schools Magdeburg and Cologne. He was also co-founder of Deutscher Werkbund.[8] One of his two sons, Ludwig Thormaehlen (1889–1956), was a professor of Art History, a sculptor and between 1914 and 1933 a curator at the Alte Nationalgalerie Berlin.[9] Among other artists he was friends with Edvard Munch and Erich Heckel, a member of the expressionist artist's group Brücke.[10] His great-great aunt Alexe Altenkirch[11] (1871–1943) was a painter and graphic designer at Zanders Papers. She had been photographed by August Sander for his famous series People of the 20th Century.

Exhibitions

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Solo exhibitions

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  • 2009: Karsten Thormaehlen: Silver Heroes, Frankfurt City Public Health Department, Frankfurt, Germany[12]
  • 2010: Karsten Thormaehlen: Jahrhundertmensch, MMK 3, Museum für Moderne Kunst Frankfurt, Germany[13]
  • 2014: Karsten Thormaehlen: Pioniere der Zukunft, University of Zurich, Schlieren, Switzerland[14]
  • 2014: Karsten Thormaehlen: Aktiv in die Zukunft, DOSB Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund, Dominikanerkloster, Frankfurt, Germany[15]
  • 2015: Karsten Thormaehlen: Happy at Hundred, Toranomon Hills, Tokyo, Japan, 16–18 April 2015[16]
  • 2021: Karsten Thormaehlen: Not Another Second, The Watermark at Brooklyn Heights, January 2021[17][18]
  • 2023: Karsten Thormaehlen: Not Another Second, The Watermark at Westwood Village, January 2023[19]

Group exhibitions

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  • 2004: Im Rausch der Dinge, Fotomuseum Winterthur, Winterthur, Switzerland[20]
  • 2005: The Nature of Skin, Kunsthaus Hamburg, Barlach Halle K, Hamburg, Germany[21]
  • 2011: Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, London[22]
  • 2016: Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, London[23]
  • 2018: Pink is the New Grey, Weltkulturenmuseum, Frankfurt, Germany[24]

Publications

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  • 100 Jahre Lebensglück. Munich: Knesebeck, 2017. ISBN 978-3-95-728072-5.[25][26][27]
  • Aging Gracefully. San Francisco: Chronicle, 2017. ISBN 978-1-45-214533-4.
  • Silver Heroes. Heidelberg: Kehrer, 2012. ISBN 978-3-86-828303-7.
  • Happy at Hundred. Heidelberg: Kehrer, 2011. ISBN 978-3-86-828243-6.
  • Jahrhundertmensch. Frankfurt, 2008. ISBN 978-3-00-025096-5.
  • Rome. Kempen, Germany: teNeues, 2004. ISBN 978-3-8238-4578-2.
  • Not Another Second – LGBT+ Seniors Share Their Stories, ed. by Ines Newby and June Hussey, Tucson, Arizona: Watermark Retirement Communities, 2021. ISBN 978-0-5788-0580-1..
  • Young at Heart, ed. by Christine von Arnim, Göttingen, Germany: Steidl, 2021. ISBN 978-3-96999-029-2.

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ "Freier Fotograf Karsten Thormaehlen". berufsfotografen.com. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  2. ^ "Jahrhundertmensch – Ausstellung mit Tiefencharakter". Bundeszentrale für Politische Bildung (bpb). Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  3. ^ "Joyful Portraits of Centenarians That Are Happy at One Hundred". My Modern Met. 10 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  4. ^ "Who needs a bus pass? Meet the silver sportsmen and women still going for gold..." Independent.co.uk. 13 April 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  5. ^ "The 100-year-old couple – still married, still going strong". The Guardian. 11 February 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  6. ^ "Lehrreiche Blicke hinter die Kulissen". Frankfurter Rundschau. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  7. ^ "'I refused to let them intimidate me': the untold stories of LGBT+ seniors". TheGuardian.com. 27 January 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  8. ^ "Prof. Emil Thormählen". Universität Magdeburg. Retrieved 1 March 2005.
  9. ^ https://smb.museum-digital.de/object/272996
  10. ^ "Prof. Ludwig Thormaehlen". Zeit Online. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  11. ^ "Alexe Altenkirch". Frauengeschichtsverein. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  12. ^ "Karsten Thormaehlen: Silver Heroes". fokussiert.com. Retrieved 12 November 2009.
  13. ^ "Karsten Thormaehlen: Jahrhundertmensch". artslant magazine. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  14. ^ "Pioniere der Zukunft - Glücklich altern auf Sardinien". Photography-now.com. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  15. ^ "Aktiv in die Zukunft". DOSB. Archived from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  16. ^ "Karsten Thormaehlen: Happy at Hundred". Metropolis Japan. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  17. ^ "The Stories of Those Who Lost Decades in the Closet". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  18. ^ "Not Another Second". Time Out New York. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  19. ^ "Watermark showcases LGBTQ+ seniors in photo exhibit". Beverly Press. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  20. ^ "Im Rausch der Dinge - Vom funktionalen Objekt zum Fetisch in Fotografien des 20. Jahrhunderts". Fotostiftung Schweiz. Retrieved 4 September 2004.
  21. ^ "Exhibitions & Events". Kunsthaus Hamburg. Retrieved 4 September 2004.
  22. ^ "Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2011 Exhibition". Ephotozine. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  23. ^ a b "Taylor Wessing photographic portrait prize – in pictures". The Guardian. 16 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  24. ^ "Frankfurter Weltkulturen Museum sucht Exponate zum Thema Alter". Monopol. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  25. ^ Maddie Crum, The Huffington Post, on Thormaehlen's book Aging Gracefully – Portraits of People Over 100 (Chronicle Books, San Francisco 2017)
  26. ^ What Aging Gracefully Looks Like After 100, Tori Latham, New York Magazine
  27. ^ Ellen Scott, metro.co.uk, Brilliant photo series celebrates the beauty of ageing
  28. ^ "Diese alten Athleten brechen Rekorde!". Bild.de. 22 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  29. ^ "New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation & Skinfoods - A cream that gives you wrinkles". Clio Awards. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  30. ^ "A Cream That Gives You Wrinkles". D&AD.org. Retrieved 16 November 2016.[dead link‍]
  31. ^ "1899". px3.fr. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  32. ^ "Breast Cream That Gives You Wrinkles". theinspirationroom.com. 6 October 2015. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  33. ^ "Cannes Lions 2021: Health and Wellness and Pharma Lions shortlist released". 19 June 2021.
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