Museum Aktfotoart Dresden

The Museum Aktfotoart Dresden stands in a villa built in the Prussian Quarter of Dresden’s Radeberger Vorstadt. Known locally as the Kunstkeller Dresden, the building has housed art since 1996 when Volkmar Fritzsche opened a gallery there. For nearly a quarter of a century the space showed erotic paintings, graphics, sculptures and photographs. In 2006 the programme narrowed to contemporary nude photography, with regular shows by artists such as Günter Rössler, Klaus Ender and Werner Lieberknecht. The museum is Germany’s first dedicated to modern nude photography as a distinct art form. Each display presents six recent works by ten photographers, allowing visitors to compare different styles and approaches. The collection deliberately avoids mainstream beauty ideals, focusing instead on the aesthetic possibilities of the unclothed body. A further aim is to counter sexist imagery by showing how photography can portray people of all ages and situations. Inside the villa’s former cellar rooms, visitors find changing exhibitions of black-and-white and colour prints. The walls are arranged so that each series can be viewed in sequence, creating a clear narrative for each artist. Outside, the quiet streets of the Radeberger Vorstadt provide a calm setting for reflection after viewing the works.