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ABOUT
Born in Alsfeld, Germany, Gerd Ludwig studied photography with Professor Otto Steinert at the Folkwangschule (now Folkwang University of the Arts) in Essen, Germany. After graduating, he co-founded VISUM, Germany’s first photographer-owned photo agency. In 1978, he moved to Hamburg and began working for publications such as GEO, Stern, Spiegel, Fortune, and LIFE, gaining recognition by intimately documenting the lives of renowned artists like Joseph Beuys and Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Upon moving to New York in the 1980s, he started photographing for National Geographic Magazine. His focus on environmental issues and the socioeconomic changes following the dissolution of the Soviet Union culminated in his exhibition and book, “Broken Empire – After the Fall of the USSR,” a ten-year retrospective published by National Geographic. Ludwig’s ongoing coverage in the republics of the former Soviet Union resulted in 20 GEO and National Geographic Magazine stories, garnering his distinction as one of the world’s foremost photographers documenting the region.
Gerd Ludwig’s engaged reporting on the aftermath of the nuclear catastrophe in Chornobyl is often considered a milestone in modern photojournalism. In 2014, “The Long Shadow of Chernobyl,” a large format photo book with an essay by Mikhail Gorbachev, combined images from his 20-year-long coverage of the aftermath of the world’s worst nuclear disaster to date. Pictures of the Year International (POYi) named “The Long Shadow of Chernobyl” Photo Book of the Year. Ludwig sees his ongoing documentation as a stark warning against human hubris, reminding the world that not all technological advancements are also wise.
Ludwig’s images resonate with a full scale of emotions, touching the soul and broadening the mind. “Despite often depicting harsh realities, his photographs are imbued with an infectious optimism. Ludwig takes a … bold and colorful approach [to photography] which makes his subjects appear more human and less one-dimensional. His images tell us something about the human condition in an accessible, yet always challenging way.” (Reuel Golden in “Witness,” 2005)
Gerd Ludwig is the recipient of the Lucie Award for International Photographer of the Year in 2006, the 2014 German Society for Photography’s Dr. Erich-Salomon Award, and the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism in 2015. In the spring of 2016, Edition Lammerhuber published his monograph Sleeping Cars. BEUYS LAND, his most recent book about the artist Joseph Beuys, was released in 2024.
Now based in Los Angeles, Gerd primarily photographs personal projects, exhibits in museums, galleries, and festivals such as Perpignan’s Visa pour L’Image, Open Your Eyes, and Festival La Gacilly-Baden, lectures at universities, and conducts workshops.
Books:
“Ao Tao Roa” with Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1979): Publisher – Albrecht Knaus Verlag
“Broken Empire – After the Fall of the USSR” (2001): Publisher – National Geographic Society
“The Long Shadow of Chernobyl” (2014): Publisher – Edition Lammerhuber
“Sleeping Cars” (2016): Publisher – Edition Lammerhuber
“Minus 2/3” (2016): Publisher – Rocky Nook
“BEUYS LAND” (2024): Publisher – Edition Lammerhuber
Selected Exhibitions:
“The Long Shadow of Chernobyl”
– Natural History Museum: Vienna, Austria
– Photokina: Cologne, Germany
– Visa pour l’Image: Perpignan, France
– Open Your Eyes: Zurich, Switzerland
“Broken Empire: After the Fall of the Soviet Union”
– Visa pour l’Image: Perpignan, France
– Stephen Cohen Gallery: Los Angeles, USA
“Moscow — Winds of Change”
– Festival La Gacilly-Baden: Baden, Austria
“Joseph Beuys”
– Museum Kurhaus: Kleve, Germany
“Sleeping Cars”
– Fahey/Klein Gallery: Los Angeles, USA
“Power of the Image”
– Temple of Heaven: Beijing, China
“Lethal Legacy: Pollution in the Former Soviet Union”
– Visa pour l’Image: Perpignan, France
– FotoCenter: Moscow, Russia
“Gerd Ludwig: Toronto”
– Royal Ontario Museum: Toronto, Canada
Documentary:
“Touching the Soul” – Deutsche Welle TV
