Walter Schels – Chimpanzees
Benefit Special Edition for the Free Academy of the Arts, Hamburg
Walter Schels, born in 1936 in Landshut, is regarded as one of the most important portrait photographers of his generation. After training as a window dresser, his path led him through Barcelona, Canada, and Geneva before he moved to New York in 1966, where he began his photographic career. In 1970, he opened his own studio in Munich and worked for renowned magazines such as Stern. For more than five decades, Schels has devoted his work to the extreme situations of human existence – birth, aging, and death. His haunting portraits, often taken against a neutral background, depict both people on the margins of society and well-known personalities.
The photographer, collector, and curator F. C. Gundlach once described his work with the words: ‚Schels’ gaze is neither distant nor emotionless nor purely analytical, but remains profoundly empathetic and respectful.‘
The expressionless original face is my ideal in portrait photography.
Among his exhibition venues are Leben at the Deichtorhallen Hamburg (2019), Prinzip Atlas at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich (2022), and Life Before Death at the Wellcome Collection in London (2008). Walter Schels has received numerous awards, including the Gold Medal of the Art Directors Club Germany, the World Press Photo Award, and the Hansel-Mieth-Preis. He is a member of the Free Academy of the Arts in Hamburg and an honorary member of the BFF (Association of Freelance Photographers and Film Designers). He lives and works in Hamburg.
On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Free Academy of the Arts Hamburg, Walter Schels has created a special edition featuring three of his most iconic animal portraits – three chimpanzees whose portraits once again highlight the striking similarity between humans and animals. The edition is available through the Free Academy of the Arts Hamburg.
#1 Chimpanzee, 1992, motif no. 7024
#2 Chimpanzee, 1992, motif no. 3483
#3 Chimpanzee, 1993, motif no. 7026
Image size: 22.5 × 18 cm
Frame size: 25 × 31 cm
Edition of 20 + 2 AP each
Signed and numbered on the reverse
The price for the set of three is: CHF 930
Please send reservations and pre-orders to: mail@parteditions.ch
I have photographed chimpanzees several times. They are very close to humans — real personalities. The three portraits we selected for the edition show how different they are as individuals.