Alfred Ehrhardt's birthplace in the small Thuringian town of Triptis near Gera was opened in 2007 by his son Dr. Jens Ehrhardt to set up a memorial to his father's artistic work. Exhibitions that change every year are presented in the 30 m² room. The house, built around 1800, was demolished after being vacant for a long time. However, gutting work and a complicated ceiling elevation made it possible to gain an apartment on the 1st and 2nd floor and an exhibition room on the ground floor. The concerns of monument preservation and the city of Triptis were taken into account in order to be able to make a contribution to improving the cityscape.
Alfred Franz Adolf Ehrhardt (March 5, 1901 in Triptis – May 29, 1984 in Hamburg) was a German photographer and documentary filmmaker. Alfred Ehrhardt, a student at the Bauhaus in Dessau in 1928/29, captivated many viewers with his factually beautiful photographs of mud flats and dunes, making him one of the most successful photographers of the first half of the 20th century. His black and white pictures are nature shots in the broadest sense. His gaze - related to the photography of Alfred Renger-Patzsch and Karl Blossfeldt - is directed with strict precision to the abstract structures and material properties of things. In addition to the famous series "The Watt" and "Kuhrische Spit" and photographs of crystals, mussels and snails, the photo book brings together lesser-known images of corals, sponges, microscopic enlargements and Nordic landscapes, including those of his first Iceland expedition in 1938. Partially to date unpublished architectural, industrial and sculptural photographs are also included. With well-founded texts on Ehrhardt's diverse talents, his films, photo books, paintings and drawings, this is the first comprehensive presentation of the life and work of this important representative of New Objectivity. About the photographer: Alfred Ehrhardt (Triptis, Thuringia 1901-1984 Hamburg). Works as a photographer, composer, musician, art teacher, painter and film producer. 1928/29 studies at the Bauhaus Dessau with Josef Albers, Oskar Schlemmer and Wassily Kandinsky. In 1930 he set up the first preliminary course in materials science at the Hamburg State Art School outside of the Bauhaus. In 1933, the professional ban imposed by the National Socialists ended Ehrhardt's artistic development in painting and he turned to photography. After 1945, his more than 50 cultural films were awarded four federal film prizes and other international prizes.