Elfriede Mejchar (1924-2020) is considered the grande dame of Austrian photography. She only received the public recognition she deserved in old age. This major anniversary exhibition honors the artist on the occasion of her 100th birthday.
Elfriede Mejchar worked for the Austrian Federal Monuments Office for almost forty years. Her task was the photographic documentation of monuments and works of art. In addition to the rich fund of photographs that follow the demands and aesthetics of the documentary, Mejchar's oeuvre also includes a large number of pure studio works whose motifs range from plant studies and whimsical still lifes to collages and experiments with the sandwich technique.
With 35 groups of works, the retrospective presents the photographer's multifaceted oeuvre, which oscillates between documentation and staging. From factual architectural photographs to Mejchar's experimental works, it provides an insight into the artist's life's work and focuses on her as a person and her techniques.
Almost all of the works come from the Provincial Collections of Lower Austria, which received Mejchar's life's work as a donation in 2013.
April 13, 2024 February 16, 2025
COOPERATION WITH VIENNA AND SALZBURG
In 2024, the Vienna Museum MUSA and the Museum der Moderne Salzburg, in cooperation with the Landesgalerie Niederösterreich, are also dedicating exhibitions to the photographer Elfriede Mejchar with different focal points. The three museums are collaborating to publish a photo book that presents the various facets of Elfriede Mejchar's oeuvre.
ELFRIEDE MEJCHAR PRIZE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY
The community of heirs (Susanne Gamauf, Charlotte Gohs, Fritz Simak, Katalin and Robert Zahornicky) has established the Elfriede Mejchar Prize for Photography in memory of Mejchar's extraordinary photographic work. In the spirit of the artist, it is intended to encourage and honor all those photographers who place the media-specific essence of photography at the center of their photographic work. The prize will be awarded for the first time as part of the exhibition opening at the Landesgalerie Niederösterreich on Saturday, April 13, 2024 in Krems.
