The Eric Bachmann Association is dedicated to:
- Preserving and promoting the work and name of Eric Bachmann to the public and to political and cultural institutions;
- Safeguarding his extensive photographic archive and supporting its publication, exhibition and scholarly study through media, books, exhibitions, etc.;
- Establishing recognition of Bachmann’s photography as part of Switzerland’s cultural heritage and ensuring its transfer to future generations (e.g. through a foundation) or by placing it within a major institution;
- Building collaborations with institutions in Switzerland and overseas through co-productions, knowledge exchange and networking.
Board
President: Dominik Bachmann – Graphic designer, custodian of the archive, responsible for collaborations. Nephew of Eric Bachmann.
Vice President: Samuel Mumenthaler – Lawyer, author and musician. A close friend of Eric Bachmann.
Treasurer and Board Member: Katharina Kofler – Research associate responsible for the press photo archive at the National Museum Zurich. Previously held a position at Fotostiftung Schweiz.
Statuten
The photographic legacy of Eric Bachmann: When photographer Eric Bachmann died in 2019, he left behind hundreds of thousands of photographs spanning 60 years, documenting history and the people who shaped it. His nephew, Dominik Bachmann, now manages the archive and works actively to preserve and share this legacy.
A life devoted to reportage: Eric Bachmann was an outgoing and approachable person. Just as he casually welcomed visitors into his townhouse in Kaiserstuhl, Switzerland and showed them his archive, he also directly approached those he photographed over nearly 60 years, beginning in the 1950s. “I am interested in people,” he once said – and his archive reflects that. It contains nearly every well-known face of the second half of the 20th century. Always a freelance photographer, he worked for magazines and newspapers that in those days had the budgets to send photographers on assignment. He photographed Swiss federal councillors, writers like Friedrich Dürrenmatt and Max Frisch, and became an unofficial court photographer for Swiss Television during its golden age, covering programmes such as “Hits à Gogo”, “Teleboy” and “Karussell”. Once his – often overseas – assignments were complete, he pursued independent reportage, returning with powerful images offering new perspectives on the Vietnam War, apartheid or the “Globus” riots in Zurich. He also documented the natural world – a lifelong passion of his as a fisherman.
A relationship of trust: Numerous books testify to Bachmann’s work. For instance, the photo series “The one-man water cannon test” (1969) shows him testing one of Switzerland’s first water cannons on himself, revealing a new perspective on Zurich’s tense political climate in the late 1960s. Or the intimate “Casa Verdi”, depicting a retirement home for opera singers financed by Giuseppe Verdi. And in 1971, he followed Muhammad Ali during his only visit to Switzerland, when Ali fought German heavyweight Jürgen Blin in Zurich’s Hallenstadion, winning by knockout in the seventh round. Bachmann recognised Ali’s unique charisma, chauffeured him around Zurich, joined him jogging, helped him shop for clothes and even let Ali photograph him.
Many of Bachmann’s photos show the trust he was able to establish – something a quick flash photographer could never achieve. Sometimes, professional relationships turned into friendships. Swiss TV icon Heidi Abel often sought his personal advice and confided in him. Soon, many of Bachmann’s personal pictures will be published in a photo book commemorating the 40th anniversary of Abel’s death, a project currently being worked on by Dominik Bachmann and Mirjam Fischer.
The future of the archive: During his lifetime, Bachmann began organising his archive to make his works accessible to future generations. His collection contains hundreds of thousands of negatives, prints and materials, organised thematically or alphabetically in large envelopes. Storage conditions in his ground-floor archive room have been improved, but long-term preservation remains a challenge. Bachmann often spoke of the many “hidden treasures” in his collection that await discovery. His nephew Dominik actively supports projects and research in the archive, but systematic cataloguing requires professional help. To date, there have been only limited institutional partnerships – something that may change in the future. Eric Bachmann’s immense photographic body of work deserves careful preservation so it can continue telling the story of the past decades.
Samuel Mumenthaler
Vice President
Verein Eric Bachmann
Hauptgasse 77
5466 Kaiserstuhl
CH82 8080 8002 8607 2835 1
IID (BC-Nr.): 80808
SWIFT-BIC: RAIFCH22
Email mail(at)ericbachmann.ch
The Eric Bachmann Association is dedicated to:
- Preserving and promoting the work and name of Eric Bachmann to the public and to political and cultural institutions;
- Safeguarding his extensive photographic archive and supporting its publication, exhibition and scholarly study through media, books, exhibitions, etc.;
- Establishing recognition of Bachmann’s photography as part of Switzerland’s cultural heritage and ensuring its transfer to future generations (e.g. through a foundation) or by placing it within a major institution;
- Building collaborations with institutions in Switzerland and overseas through co-productions, knowledge exchange and networking.
Board
President: Dominik Bachmann – Graphic designer, custodian of the archive, responsible for collaborations. Nephew of Eric Bachmann.
Vice President: Samuel Mumenthaler – Lawyer, author and musician. A close friend of Eric Bachmann.
Treasurer and Board Member: Katharina Kofler – Research associate responsible for the press photo archive at the National Museum Zurich. Previously held a position at Fotostiftung Schweiz.
Statuten
The photographic legacy of Eric Bachmann: When photographer Eric Bachmann died in 2019, he left behind hundreds of thousands of photographs spanning 60 years, documenting history and the people who shaped it. His nephew, Dominik Bachmann, now manages the archive and works actively to preserve and share this legacy.
A life devoted to reportage: Eric Bachmann was an outgoing and approachable person. Just as he casually welcomed visitors into his townhouse in Kaiserstuhl, Switzerland and showed them his archive, he also directly approached those he photographed over nearly 60 years, beginning in the 1950s. “I am interested in people,” he once said – and his archive reflects that. It contains nearly every well-known face of the second half of the 20th century. Always a freelance photographer, he worked for magazines and newspapers that in those days had the budgets to send photographers on assignment. He photographed Swiss federal councillors, writers like Friedrich Dürrenmatt and Max Frisch, and became an unofficial court photographer for Swiss Television during its golden age, covering programmes such as “Hits à Gogo”, “Teleboy” and “Karussell”. Once his – often overseas – assignments were complete, he pursued independent reportage, returning with powerful images offering new perspectives on the Vietnam War, apartheid or the “Globus” riots in Zurich. He also documented the natural world – a lifelong passion of his as a fisherman.
A relationship of trust: Numerous books testify to Bachmann’s work. For instance, the photo series “The one-man water cannon test” (1969) shows him testing one of Switzerland’s first water cannons on himself, revealing a new perspective on Zurich’s tense political climate in the late 1960s. Or the intimate “Casa Verdi”, depicting a retirement home for opera singers financed by Giuseppe Verdi. And in 1971, he followed Muhammad Ali during his only visit to Switzerland, when Ali fought German heavyweight Jürgen Blin in Zurich’s Hallenstadion, winning by knockout in the seventh round. Bachmann recognised Ali’s unique charisma, chauffeured him around Zurich, joined him jogging, helped him shop for clothes and even let Ali photograph him.
Many of Bachmann’s photos show the trust he was able to establish – something a quick flash photographer could never achieve. Sometimes, professional relationships turned into friendships. Swiss TV icon Heidi Abel often sought his personal advice and confided in him. Soon, many of Bachmann’s personal pictures will be published in a photo book commemorating the 40th anniversary of Abel’s death, a project currently being worked on by Dominik Bachmann and Mirjam Fischer.
The future of the archive: During his lifetime, Bachmann began organising his archive to make his works accessible to future generations. His collection contains hundreds of thousands of negatives, prints and materials, organised thematically or alphabetically in large envelopes. Storage conditions in his ground-floor archive room have been improved, but long-term preservation remains a challenge. Bachmann often spoke of the many “hidden treasures” in his collection that await discovery. His nephew Dominik actively supports projects and research in the archive, but systematic cataloguing requires professional help. To date, there have been only limited institutional partnerships – something that may change in the future. Eric Bachmann’s immense photographic body of work deserves careful preservation so it can continue telling the story of the past decades.
Samuel Mumenthaler
Vice President
Verein Eric Bachmann
Hauptgasse 77
5466 Kaiserstuhl
CH82 8080 8002 8607 2835 1
IID (BC-Nr.): 80808
SWIFT-BIC: RAIFCH22
Email mail(at)ericbachmann.ch