Galerie Buchkunst Berlin presents DDR / East Germany – Colour Works, an exhibition by Magnum photographer Thomas Hoepker, on view until 28 February 2026.
The exhibition features a carefully curated selection of colour photographs taken between 1972 and 1990 in the former German Democratic Republic and East Berlin. Alongside images that have since become classics, the show includes previously unknown and striking photographs from this period. Rendered in Hoepker’s distinctive Kodachrome colours, East Germany is revealed anew—vivid, complex, and deeply human.
On the occasion of the exhibition, the gallery is delighted to present the new photobook
Thomas Hoepker – DDR / East Germany – Colour Works 1972–1990, published as part of its own publishing program. With 145 photographs, many of them previously unpublished, the book offers—for the first time—a comprehensive overview of Thomas Hoepker’s colour photography in the former GDR.
In 1974, Thomas Hoepker became the first West German photographer officially permitted to work in the GDR. He moved to East Berlin and traveled extensively throughout the country. Until 1976, he reported from the self-proclaimed “workers’ and peasants’ state” for stern magazine together with his then wife, journalist Eva Windmöller.
Hoepker’s colour photographs, created from the early 1970s through 1990, portray life in the GDR with empathy, understanding, and his unmistakable sense of humor. By photographing East Germany in its own chromatic language, he succeeded in conveying an alternative image of the country and its people—quietly questioning the official visual narratives of state propaganda, which at the time largely controlled colour photography.
His powerful images of the historical upheavals surrounding the period of reunification establish Thomas Hoepker as a chronicler of the GDR’s disappearance from history. The colour photographs he created of everyday life in East Germany are unique in both their artistic quality and the depth of insight they offer.

About the Author

Thomas Hoepker (10 June 1936, Munich – 10 July 2024, Santiago de Chile) is considered one of the most important photographers of the second half of the 20th century. Many of his images—such as his portraits of Muhammad Ali or his photographs taken in New York on September 11, 2001—have become iconic and are firmly embedded in collective memory.
His humanistic documentary work has profoundly shaped the understanding of author-driven photography. In 1977, he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit of Germany. In 1989, he became the first German full member of Magnum Photos, serving as its president from 2003 to 2007. His work has been exhibited internationally and is held in numerous public and private collections.

Thomas Hoepker: DDR / East Germany – Colour Works
until 28 February 2026
Galerie Buchkunst Berlin – Germany