Michael Schmidt

Michael Schmidt (6 October 1945 – 24 May 2014) was a German photographer. Schmidt focused on Berlin and explored the burden of German identity within modern history.

The Museum of Modern Art in New York City exhibited U-nit-y in 1996; Frauen was exhibited at the Berlin Biennale in 2010; and Lebensmittel, his series on the global food industry, was shown at the Venice Biennale in 2013. and Ein-heit (U-ni-ty) (1991–1994), contemporary urban landscapes and portraits from Germany alongside historical photographs from the National Socialist era, his reaction to the 1989 fall of the Wall and the reunification of East and West Germany that followed. Lebensmittel (foodstuff) took seven years to make, with Schmidt travelling worldwide. He photographed "across the spectrum of mass food production, from factory farms" (including salmon farms and dairy farms), and bread factories, "to industrial slaughterhouses and on to plastic-wrapped, sanitised portions of food in supermarkets."

He died on 24 May 2014.

Publications Berlin Kreuzberg. Berlin: Bezirksamt Kreuzberg, 1973. Berlin, Stadtlandschaft und Menschen. Berlin: Stapp, 1978. . Berlin-Wedding: Stadtlandschaft und Menschen. Berlin: Galerie u. Verl. A. Nagel, 1978. . Second edition. Koenig, 2019. With texts by Heinz Ohff and Thomas Weski in English and German. Berlin-Kreuzberg. Stadtbilder = Berlin-Kreuzberg, Urban Images. Berlin: Public Verlagsgesellschaft, 1984. . Stadtlandschaften 1981 = Urban Landscapes 1981. Essen: Museum Folkwang, 1981. Benachteiligt. Berlin: Senator für Gesundheit, Soziales und Familie, 1982. Bilder 1979–1986. = Images 1979–1986. Hannover: Sprengel Museum, 1987. Waffenruhe = Ceasefire. Berlin: Dirk Nishen, 1987. With a story by Einar Schleef. Second edition. Foundation for Photography and Media Art with the Michael Schmidt Archive; London: Koenig Books, 2018. . With a new afterword by Thomas Weski. Ein-Heit. Zürich/Berlin/New York City: Scalo, 1996. . Edited by Thomas Weski. U-nit-y. Zürich/Berlin/New York City: Scalo, 1996. . Landschaft – Selbst – Waffenruhe – Menschenbilder (Ausschnitte). Münster: Westfälischer Kunstverein; Munich: Kunstbunker Tumulka, 1998. . "Published in conjunction with an exhibition held at the Westfälischer Kunstverein, Oct. 24, 1998-Jan. 3, 1999, and the Kunstbunker Tumulka, Feb. 2-Mar. 7, 1999." Frauen = Women. Cologne: Walther König, 2000. . Irgendwo. Cologne: Snoeck, 2005. . Berlin nach 45 = Berlin after 45. Göttingen: Steidl, 2005. . Edited by Ute Eskildsen. With contributions by Janos Frecot. 89/90. Cologne: Snoeck, 2010. . Lebensmittel = foodstuff. Cologne: Snoeck, 2012. . Natur = Nature. London: Mack, 2014. .

Award 2014: Prix Pictet for Lebensmittel

Exhibitions Solo exhibitions Michael Schmidt: U-ni-ty, Museum of Modern Art, New York City, January–March 1996. Grey As Colour: Photographs Until 2009, Haus der Kunst, Munich, 2010. A retrospective of his work.

Group exhibitions and during festivals Frauen (Women, 1997-99), Berlin Biennale, Berlin, 2010.

Collection Schmidt's work is held in the following public collection: Museum of Modern Art, New York City