Asia Society Switzerland invites you to an exclusive art tour with Peter Pfrunder, director of the Fotostiftung Schweiz and curator of the exhibition «Walter Bosshard / Robert Capa – The Race for China» at the Fotostiftung Schweiz, Winterthur. He will provide background stories on photographs, negatives and photo albums, edited by Bosshard himself.

The Swiss photographer and foreign correspondent Walter Bosshard (1892-1975) was a pioneer of modern photo journalism. In the 1930s, when photo-driven magazines like LIFE were established, he was at the forefront: His photo reports reached an audience of millions and made him an internationally renowned star reporter. From 1931 onwards, Bosshard decided to concentrate on China, subsequently moving to Beijing in 1933. He sensed that the Middle Kingdom was on the brink of radical change. While being a first-hand observer of the second Sino-Japanese war and the power struggles between the communists and nationalists, his work also captures daily life in China at the time. The exhibition reflects Bosshard’s work along with contemporaneous reportages on China by Robert Capa, Bosshard’s friend and rival at the same time.

Program

18:30 Guided Art Tour with the curator (in English)

19:30 Aperitif

20:30 End

This tour is for Asia Society Switzerland members only. How to become a member?

About Peter Pfrunder

Peter Pfrunder was born in Singapore in 1959. He grew up in Switzerland and studied German literature, Cultural Anthropology and English literature in Zurich, Montpellier and Berlin. From 1995 to 1998, he was co-director of the Forum of Swiss History Schwyz (part of the Swiss National Museum). Since 1998, Pfrunder is director and curator at the Fotostiftung Schweiz in Winterthur. He is responsible for numerous publications and exhibitions on Swiss photography. Along with the current exhibition, Pfrunder publishes the book Walter Bosshard: China brennt. Bildberichte 1931-1939. Limmat Verlag.