Le fotografie morbide di Balthasar Burkhard e Markus Raetz (1969-1970)

On the soft photographs by Balthasar Burkhard and Markus Raetz (1969-1970) This paper aim to get the attention on a series of photographic canvases result from a lucky collaboration between the photographer Balthasar Burkhard (Berne, 1944-2010) and the artist Markus Raetz (Büren an der Aare, 1941). These canvases, or even called “linnen” for their monumental size and the absence of frames, have been exhibited in some of the most important collective shows about Swiss art at that time, but now, especially in Italy, they are totally forgotten. Although there are some interesting details to dwell on, and, moreover, the works themselves are especially effective, and a bit perturbing because of the contrast, and the link at the same time, between the subject and the materiality of the canvases. First step is to reflect on the nature of the collaboration: the two authors worked together from the conception to the concrete realization of the works. They both put at the service of the artworks their different experiences, ideas, interests and specific talents. Then, an other focus of the paper is the Italian early reception, after an exhibition held at Diagramma Gallery in Milano in April 1971. All the reviews that has been found mention it as “Markus Raetz's solo show”, even if the series was already been showed in some institutional exhibition, such as Visualisierte Denkprozesse, or published on “Camera”, the prestigious magazine on photography. It has been necessary to rethink this series and specify some details.