About Herbert Tobias

I had never heard of Herbert Tobias before today, but went to an exhibition of his photographs and was really impressed.

Tobias was a mid- to late-20th century gay German photographer who became well-known for his fashion photography in the 1950s and 60s, but who also took stunning photos of mid-century Paris and of Berlin after the war, and who in his later years devoted himself primarily to male nudes and to work for gay German magazines. Tobias also took photos for many Deutsche Grammophon album covers.

It is hard to say whether I was more taken by the photos of dashing women dressed in glamorous evening gowns for a night out on the Kurfurstendamm (Berlin’s equivalent of the Champs-Élysées); the images of children riding bikes and men selling flowers amid the ruins in the aftermath of World War II (known simply as “der Krieg” here), or the seductive shots of men in Hamburg and Berlin in the 70s.

Tobias died of AIDS in 1982. You can see some of his remarkable images here: http://www.herberttobias.com/gallery.html

 

Ayran Nation*

I am staying for the summer in a neighborhood populated mainly (it seems, anyway) by Turkish people. (Berlin has more Turkish people than any other city outside of Turkey.)  This makes for some very good Turkish food everywhere you look, but also some tension.  For example, I was crossing the street today right behind a young man in a jacket featuring the Turkish flag.  He crossed against the light while I waited for it to change.  Just as he reached the opposite side, a car full of people came zooming around the corner and honked at him.  The man turned and made a gesture as if ready for a fight.  Was this just a normal pedestrian-driver tussle, or were the honk and the reaction motivated by interracial hostility? 

The tension between Germans and Turks has a complicated history, and dates back to the importation of Turkish workers to rebuild Berlin after its devastation after World War II.  Sixty years may have gone by, but the problems remain.  Last week, when Germany lost its soccer match to underdog Croatia, I didn’t understand the celebratory honking that went on for hours, into the night.  It turns out there are Croatians in my neighborhood, too.  But more than that, apparently the Turks celebrate when Germany loses.  If true, that makes for an interesting contrast to the fact that all over Berlin you see people driving cars featuring the German flag flying on one side and the Turkish flag on the other.  In any case, the problem of how/whether to integrate the Turkish minority more fully into German society is one that I’m hoping to learn, think and write more about this year.

* Ayran is the very popular Turkish yogurt drink, which is available all over Berlin.  I highly doubt this title is original, but I am still proud of coming up with it!