Erasmus Schröter
Lange Nacht (Long Night)

“I had only two copies of the original book Nachts left,” recalls the artist’s wife, Annette Schröter. “It was published in 1982 in a limited edition of 100 copies, printed and bound at the Academy of Visual Arts in Leipzig (HGB). For me, these photographs—taken between 1980 and 1981—are among the best and most impressive images that Erasmus, then still a very young man, ever captured.”
Erasmus Schröter shot the series on infrared film using the so-called “black flash method.” While it was never revealed how he managed to source this rare film material in East Germany at the time, he was deeply fascinated by its technical possibilities, utilizing it intensively during his excursions into the GDR nightlife, primarily in Leipzig. His subjects encompass people waiting, ball and opera-goers, lovers, dancers, tattooed men at fairs, circus performers, and artists’ festivals. Transcendent and blurred, the photographs evoke the atmosphere of a surreal theater. Lange Nacht demonstrates how technical experimentation and documentary photography can synthesize to create entirely new visual layers, while serving as a poignant reminder of the early artistic brilliance of Erasmus Schröter.
The photographs and their sequence in this volume attempt to replicate the original 1982 edition as closely as possible. However, because not all of the original negatives were preserved, newly discovered archival material not included in Nachts has been integrated. Consequently, this book is not a facsimile and has been given a new title.

Erasmus Schröter (1956–2021) left the GDR in 1985 in protest, returning to his hometown of Leipzig only in the 1990s. In addition to his photographic practice, he was a passionate collector of East German children’s toys and architectural postcards, both of which he repeatedly incorporated into his works and exhibitions. The enduring fascination of his imagery lies in its seamless fusion of everyday material culture with an incredibly powerful aesthetic appeal.
Uwe Kolbe, a renowned poet and prose writer, was a close friend of Schröter’s during the 1970s and 80s, occasionally accompanying him on his nocturnal excursions. His accompanying text poignantly captures the perceived realities of that bygone era.

Exhibition
Museum Ludwig, Cologne, 18.4.–11.10.2026, Two Germanies circa 1980

Selected Press
MDR Kultur am Morgen, Andreas Höll, 29.7.2026 (German only)
Collector Daily, Blake Andrews, 30.7.2026