"John K.: SITTING. Works from the Eric Kroll collection" at Galerie Susanne Zander, Cologne

John K., untitled, 1959 – 1976, original vintage print,

13 x 9 cm. Courtesy Galerie Susanne Zander / Delmes & Zander

Galerie Susanne Zander I Cologne presents

John K.: SITTING
Works from the Eric Kroll collection

28. November 2014 – 13. February 2015
Opening: Friday, 28.11., 6 – 9 pm

  

For the first time, Galerie Susanne Zander I Cologne is showing an exclusive selection of vintage photographs from the collection of photographer Eric Kroll by a formerly unknown artist known only as John K. Dating from around 1959 to 1976 these works show nude, aspiring Tinseltown belles in front of candy-cotton coloured backdrops sitting on unlikely things such as a loaf of bread, a pumpkin or a watermelon resulting in a sublime aesthetic that brings to mind the intimacy of back-room photo session in makeshift home studios in a sun-breached, technicolor LA of days gone. The viewer sees not only the women but also catches a glimpse into John K.'s domestic life. Captions and small details in the photographs confirm that John K. used the photos of his models for his paintings, as well as a source of inspiration for the films, which are also part of this comprehensive oeuvre.

The selection of original vintage photographs in the exhibition “Sitting” comes from a collection of hundreds of John K. works owned by Eric Kroll, himself a well-known fetish photographer, collector and editor of several books on the subject of erotic art and photography.