PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR AND ITS AFTERMATH IN THE COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS, FILMS AND NEGATIVES OF THE CROATIAN HISTORY MUSEUM

A significant part of the Collection of Photography, Films and Negatives of the Croatian History Museum refers to the reportage photography of the 20th century. Like a writer, a photojournalist is a journalist. He often has to make decisions on the spot and always carries the camera with him, while most of the time he is exposed to considerable difficulties (e.g. bodily injury, weather conditions, war conditions ...).

Exhibition Who’s shootin’ over there? primarily represents these photographers and their work. Two photojournalistic agencies with strong propaganda ties, active during the Second World War in the Independent State of Croatia and Partisan/Anti-facist Croatia, and independent photographers are in it’s focus.. Visually attractive and documentary depiction of everyday war (battlefields, battles, soldiers, everyday life in urban and rural areas...) is represented through their work.

There are some professionals and some amateurs among the presented photographers. Their total number is 29: Stanko Aleksić, Stjepan Puba Cerjan, Franjo Cvrtila, Tošo Dabac, Pero Dragila, Hugo Fisher Ribarić, Ljubomir Garbin, Živko Gatin, Mladen Grčević, Ljudevit Griesbach, Mladen Iveković, Elvira Kohn, Mahmud Konjhodžić, Antonija Kulčar / Photo Tonka, Stevo Mahobej, Savo Marković Štedimlija, Herman Mates / Mattes, Mario Medeot, Franjo Mosinger, Milan Pavić, Dragutin Rajterić, Ante Roca, Jure Ruljančić, Vilim Schwarz, Georgij / Žorž Skrygin, Ivan Softa / Sopta, Edmund Stöger, Vincenzo Stojan and Marijan Szabo.

Basic task of a photographer was to document the reality and the war environment in agreement with the client. While the propaganda agencies of the Independent State of Croatia were well ordered - the work was done in offices, departments, newsrooms and museums - the partisans worked illegally and covertly. Photography equipment was often precious or unattainable so chemicals and films were used sparingly. The biggest difficulties were storage and archiving of flammable negatives in unmanageable conditions.

This exhibition is a continuation of a Croatian History Museum’s practice of presenting themes from Croatian recent history, contributing to the presentation of the museum’s public material and thus to familiarize themselves with certain segments of the future Permanent Exhibition in the new building of the Museum (former building of Tobacco Factory Zagreb).

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July 13 - October 29, 2017

Concept Author 
Rhea Ivanuš

Authors of the exhibition
Rhea Ivanuš 
Petra Braun

Visual set up
Ana Filep

Multimedia
Zdenka Šinkić
Ivica Tarle

Associate
Luka Lucin

Exhibition mounting team
Ozren Solić
Tomislav Degmečić 
Ivo Margaretić
Ivica Tarle
Mirana Jušić