Die Reibe (The Grater)

Photography and Media

c. 1928

Oskar Nerlinger
German, 1893–1969

Photograms are made by placing objects directly on or over a sheet of photographic paper and then exposing the paper to light. For this work Nerlinger used a small grater and a mesh sieve and likely employed a flashlight as a light source, moving the beam to create a three-dimensional effect. He hoped to put recent avant-garde experiments in photographic abstraction to work for advertising and created a portfolio of photograms combined with hand-painted typography to show potential clients. Here, the bold red 4 could refer to the price or quantity.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Photography and Media

Artist: Oskar Nerlinger
Title: Die Reibe (The Grater)
Place: Germany (Artist's nationality:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Made 1925–1935
Medium: Gelatin silver photogram, applied color
Inscriptions: Unmarked recto; verso unchecked
Dimensions: Image/paper: 11.9 × 17.9 cm (4 11/16 × 7 1/16 in.)
Credit Line: Julien Levy Collection, Gift of Jean Levy and the Estate of Julien Levy
Reference Number: 1988.157.64

1989. “Stationen der Moderne: die bedeutenden Kunstausstellungen des 20. Jahrhunderts in Deutschland.” Exh. cat. Berlinische Gallerie and Nicolaische Verlasbuchhandlung Beuermann. p. 263, fig. 7/101.

Art Institute of Chicago, “Photographs from the Julien Levy Collection: Starting with Atget,” December 11, 1976–February 20, 1977; traveled to the International Center of Photography, New York, April 21-May 29, 1977; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, November 4-December 18 1977; Fogg Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts, January 13-Ferbruary 26, 1978; Lakeview Center for the Arts and Sciences, Peoria, Illinois, March 16-April 30, 1978; and Cincinnati Art Museum, November 17-December 24, 1978. (David Travis)
Berlin, Germany, Berlinsche Galerie, “Station Der Moderne,” September 25, 1988–January 6, 1989.
Paris, France, Centre Georges Pompidou, “L’invention d’un Art,” October 12, 1989–January 1, 1990.
Zurich, Switzerland, Kunsthaus Zurich, “Photogramm,” March 31–May 27, 1990.
Art Institute of Chicago, “Cameraless Wonders,” June 10–November 8, 2000. (Elizabeth Siegel)
Art Institute of Chicago, “Photography on Display: Modern Treasures,” May 9–September 13, 2009.
Art Institute of Chicago, Gallery 10 Permanent Collection Rotation, November 21, 2015-May 8, 2016.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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