A world observed 1940-2010: photographs by Dorothy Bohm

On Thursday, September 21, 2023, at 5 pm, the exhibition of photographs by Dorothy Bohm titled ‘A World Observed 1940-2010: Photographs by Dorothy Bohm’ will open at the Exhibition Hall of the Klaipėda Cultural Communication Centre (KCCC) located at Didžioji Vandens g. 2, Klaipėda. The exhibition is curated by Monica Bohm-Duchen in collaboration with Gintaras Česonis. The event will also feature a screening of Richard Shaw’s biographical documentary ‘Seeing Daylight’ (UK, 2018). The exhibition is dedicated to the National Memorial Day for the Genocide of Lithuanian Jews and is part of the International Festival of Jewish Culture ‘Shalom in All The World.’ It will run until October 15.

 

LITVAK PHOTOGRAPHER

‘A World Observed 1940-2010: Photographs by Dorothy Bohm’ is a retrospective exhibition showcasing the remarkable work of the photographer Dorothy Bohm, who is widely acclaimed as one of the leading figures in British photography. Born Dorothea Israelit (Bohm was her husband’s surname) in 1924 in Königsberg, East Prussia (now Kaliningrad), her life’s journey led her to Memel (now Klaipėda) in 1932. In June 1939, with the Nazis approaching, her parents sent the young girl to England.

In England, Dorothy pursued her passion for photography, eventually specializing in portrait photography and establishing her own studio in Manchester. Her career took off, culminating in her first solo exhibition in London in 1969. Renowned photographer André Kertész, a friend and inspiration, admired her striking Polaroids. She also enjoyed a creative friendship with the British documentary photographer Martin Parr. Throughout her artistic journey, Bohm accumulated an impressive portfolio, featuring twenty-five solo exhibitions and authoring over fifteen publications.

Dorothy Bohm left a lasting legacy upon her passing in the spring of 2023 at the age of 98. She stands as one of the last prominent post-war photographers in Britain.

 

 

EVERYDAY AND ETERNITY IN PHOTOGRAPHS

Dorothy Bohm’s photographs capture everyday moments: women selling fruit and flowers in Switzerland or Belgium, passers-by in New York or Cordoba, curious characters in a London market, artists in Montmartre, children playing in the streets. In one of her many interviews, Bohm expressed, ‘Photography can only capture what exists in reality. That, to me, is profoundly significant. I have always aspired to capture time.’

Since the late 1990s, Dorothy Bohm’s daughter, Monica Bohm-Duchen, has been overseeing her mother’s archive and curating Bohm’s exhibitions. In 2010, Monica helped curate the first major retrospective exhibition of Bohm’s oeuvre, titled ‘A World Observed 1940-2010: Photographs by Dorothy Bohm’.

 

The exhibition is organised in cooperation with the Klaipėda Jewish Community

Curator Monica Bohm-Duchen together with Gintaras Česonis

Exhibition is part of the International Festival of Jewish Culture ‘Shalom in All the World’

Festival coordinator Rūta Jakštonienė

For more events of the festivalwww.zydukulturosdienos.lt

 

The KCCC Exhibition Hall (Didžioji Vandens g. 2, Klaipėda) is open from Wednesday to Sunday, between 11 AM and 7 PM, and it is closed on public holidays. Photography and filming will be conducted during the exhibition’s opening. Please be aware that attendees may appear in photographs and videos from the event, which may be shared in various media outlets.

 

 

KCCC information