Günter Rössler

Rössler significantly contributed to the history of German photography in the second half of the twentieth century, earning him recognition not only as a great photographer, but also as the "old master of German nude photography".

• Name — Günter Rössler • Birth Name — Günter Rössler • Born — 6 January 1926 • Birthplace — Leipzig, Germany • Died — 31 December 2012 • Place of death — Leipzig, Germany • Resting Place — Auenfriedhof Markkleeberg-Ost, Markkleeberg, district Leipzig • Occupation — Photographer • Website — Günter Rössler

Rössler was born in Leipzig. Between 1944 and 1945, he completed his high school education and at age 18 was immediately conscripted for military service in the German Army during World War II. On orders to recapture a hill held by the advancing Red Army, Rössler was severely wounded during the assault and one of few from his troop to have survived the hail of grenades, he was subsequently captured and taken prisoner of war. At the end of the War, Rössler left his hometown Leipzig for Bad Nauheim, where in 1946 he began working for a photo store, as salesperson, photographic laboratory technician and photo-retoucher. Rössler began his photographer apprenticeship from 1947 and returned to Leipzig to study at the "University for Graphic and Book Design" (Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst). From 1951, he worked as freelance fashion and advertising photographer, as well as photojournalist. In the 1960s, Rössler devoted himself to nude photography and became one of the pioneers of this genre in East Germany. From 1954 to 1990, Rössler was collaborating and contributing mainly to East German women's fashion magazines such as Sibylle (East Germany's equal to Vogue) and Modische Maschen, including the monthly culture and lifestyle magazine Das Magazin, as well as the photography magazines Fotografie and Fotokino-Magazin. Rössler also collaborated across the Eastern Bloc, especially with the iconic fashion-forward magazine Lada published in Sofia, Bulgaria's equal to Vogue; Lada, backed by its own fashion house, was referred to as the "fashion encyclopedia" of the Bulgarian woman and held high regard by women from all walks of life. It sold widely across the rest of the socialist states. Rössler's first public exhibition of nude photographs—1979 in the "Kunsthaus Grimma"—caused sensation in East Germany. His subsequent exhibitions were also audience magnets. Since Rössler's photos were considered "not offensive", his exhibitions were also attended by school classes. Simplicity and abstraction on black and white photography make his photographs seem almost sculptural; The great naturalness of his models belonged to the concept of his nude photography. In 1981, Rössler was admitted to the Verband Bildender Künstler der DDR (Association of Visual Artists of the GDR) and in 1996 appointed to the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie (German Society for Photography). In 1984, Playboy (West Germany-edition) published a ten-page article titled Mädchen der DDR (Girls of the GDR) with photos by Rössler. The reportage was rewarded by Playboy with the official sum of 10,000 Deutsche Mark, of which Rössler only received a mere 15%, the rest as was the usual practice in the German Democratic Republic with foreign received remuneration and currency exchange, was retained by the GDR's Ministry for Foreign Trade and Commercial Activities under Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski. Along with East-German photographer Günter Rinnhofer, Rössler was one of the few photographers who were represented almost every month with photos in the photography magazines Fotografie and Fotokino-Magazin. Rössler worked mainly in black and white photography. After Rössler's first wife Ruth died of cancer in 1991, Rössler later married his former model Kirsten Schlegel, 43-years his younger, whom he first met when she was 14 years old. Schlegel worked for Rössler as a model for fashion shoots and later as his assistant. They had one daughter born in 2003. In 1991, Rössler and Schlegel co-founded the photo model agency VOILÀ!. In January 2011, on the occasion of Rössler's 85th-birthday, he appeared in an interview article by Das Magazin. For Rössler's meritorious life's work, the city of Markkleeberg honoured the artist with the award of Medal of Honour on his 80th-birthday and entry into the Golden Book of the city. Rössler, who lived more than 50 years in Markkleeberg-East (Markkleeberg-Ost) near Leipzig, died there and was cremated on 11 January 2013 at the cemetery Auenfriedhof Markkleeberg-Ost.

• Fred R. Willitzkat: Die Genialität des Augenblicks – Der Fotograf Günter Rössler (The genius of the moment – The photographer Günter Rössler). Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR-TV), Germany 2012, 97 min., in German.