House of Photography
Founded in 2003, the House of Photography is Hamburg’s central exhibition venue for photography. In addition to presenting the renowned F.C. Gundlach Collection, it presents international exhibitions focusing on photography and media art. The listed building – constructed between 1911 and 1914 as a market hall – is currently undergoing comprehensive renovation. By 2027, it will offer approximately 25,500 sq ft (2.000 m2) of new exhibition and event space.
Through exhibitions, publications, and educational programs, the House of Photography explores historical and contemporary practices in image-based media, from photography and film to interconnected digital image worlds. It presents influential figures of the 20th and 21st centuries as well as group exhibitions that address socially relevant questions, critical discourses, and future developments of the medium – including regular exhibitions based on the extensive holdings of the F.C. Gundlach Collection.
Vision – The New House of Photography
With its reopening, the House of Photography will increasingly serve as a place of encounter and dialogue where the future of photography as a socially and culturally relevant medium comes alive and is critically examined and debated.
Photography has always been multifaceted: it serves as a defining tool in journalism and documentation, science, commerce and industry, administration and archives, as well as private and family life. Alongside photography as an artistic discipline, these dimensions are an essential part of its cultural and historical heritage.
The F.C. Gundlach Collection
With around 17,000 works, the F.C. Gundlach Collection is one of the most important private photography collections in Germany. Its founder, F.C. Gundlach (1926–2021), was a photographer, gallerist, collector, curator, and promotor of photography. In September 2003, he founded the House of Photography at Deichtorhallen Hamburg. Since 2006, approximately 9,000 works focusing on “The Human Image in Photography” – a key theme of his collection – have been on long-term loan there.
Among the collection’s many highlights are Harry Callahan’s late works produced in the dye-transfer laboratory of Gundlach’s company PPS (Professional Photo Service) in Hamburg, as well as works by Irving Penn and Nan Goldin. The collection is broad in scope, uniting works by icons such as Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Cindy Sherman, Robert Mapplethorpe, August Sander, and Rineke Dijkstra with lesser-known but equally influential figures.
The Center for Visual Media
Today, digital images shape our perception of the world – they not only reflect social reality but actively mold it. Decoding their language, understanding the underlying technical and algorithmic structures, and critically examining their social impact are essential for a vibrant democracy and for navigating digital media confidently.
The new Center for Visual Media at the House of Photography addresses these issues. It aims to promote visual and media literacy while revealing the aesthetic, technical, and narrative strategies that define digital platforms and shape our visual culture. Since 2024, new educational programs, workshops, and a publication series have been developed. The Viral Hallucinations glossarynow includes 85 terms – two volumes have been published, and a third is in preparation.
Architectural Redesign: The House of Photography
With its early 20th-century industrial architecture, the Deichtorhallen complex, built between 1911 and 1913, is one of Hamburg’s most significant cultural monuments, if only because of the technology that went into creating it. Since August 2021, the House of Photography, located in the south hall, has been undergoing extensive renovation. In addition to repairing damage to the more than 100-year-old structure, the building is being modernized to international standards and expanded to include new public spaces and enhancements for visitors.
Opening the House
The conceptual and programmatic realignment of the House of Photography is reflected in the redesign of its interior, with the building opening up on all sides and offering new spaces for its expanding activities: from the F.C. Gundlach Collection to workshop rooms for cultural education and the Center for Visual Media, as well as an inviting new restaurant.
The large main entrance area at the north facade will be completely redesigned and restored to its full height. The central, 9,150 sq ft (850 m2) exhibition hall will showcase the architectural quality and open atmosphere of the former market hall. Two adjacent gallery spaces, measuring 645 sq ft (60 m2) and 1615 sq ft (150 m2), will provide additional areas for smaller presentations.
