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an old black and white photo of a man holding a violin
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1402 - Herbert von Karajahn
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Estimate €600 - €800
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Description
Herbert von Karajahn Zimmermann, Gustav 15 photographs taken from within the orchestra. 1980–1982. Gelatine silver print. Each 17 x 24 cm. Photographer’s stamp on the reverse; some are dated. Gustav Zimmermann was a violinist with the Berlin Philharmonic from 1962 to 1997. He also took photographs in his spare time. His position in the orchestra afforded him a closeness to Herbert von Karajan (1908–1989) that professional photographers rarely enjoyed. The photographs are in black and white, atmospheric and offer intimate insights. They are full of emotion. They show the conductor not striking a pose for the public, but in moments of concentration, during rehearsals and in his devotion to the music. Karajan viewed press photographers with scepticism. Some had ambushed him in the dark and blinded him with flash. For this reason, he insisted on seeing every photograph before it was published. Zimmermann was one of the photographers – alongside Siegfried Lauterwasser, Cordula Groth and Jürgen Dibke – whom Karajan held in particularly high regard. Zimmermann’s photographs are documented in specialist literature and in the Berlin Philharmonic’s archive. Annemarie Kleinert’s book *Berliner Philharmoniker. Von Karajan bis Rattle* contains 37 of his photographs, which he made available free of charge. The Berlin Philharmonic’s archive lists him as the photographer of a picture of Leonard Bernstein from 1979 Herbert von Karajan – Gustav Zimmermann. 15 photographs from the orchestra. 1980–1982. Gelatin silver prints. Each 17 x 24 cm. Photographer’s stamp on the reverse, some dated. Gustav Zimmermann was a violinist with the Berlin Philharmonic from 1962 to 1997. He also took photographs in his spare time. His position in the orchestra gave him a closeness to Herbert von Karajan (1908–1989) that professional photographers rarely enjoyed. The photographs are in black and white, atmospheric, and offer intimate insights. They are full of emotion. They show the conductor not posing for the public, but in moments of concentration, rehearsal work and devotion to the music. Karajan viewed press photographers with a critical eye. Some had lain in wait for him in the dark and dazzled him with flash. For this reason, he had every photograph submitted to him before publication. Along with Siegfried Lauterwasser, Cordula Groth and Jürgen Dibke, Zimmermann was among the photographers whom Karajan particularly valued. Zimmermann’s photographs are documented in specialist literature and in the Berlin Philharmonic’s archive. Annemarie Kleinert’s book *Berliner Philharmoniker. From Karajan to Rattle’ contains 37 of his photographs, which he made available free of charge. The Berlin Philharmonic archive lists him as the photographer of a picture of Leonard Bernstein from 1979.
See original version (German)
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About the sale Valuable books, prints, historical photographs
Auction location
Auction time 10/24/2026 at 10:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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