Kurt Blum (* August 25 1922 in Bern , † December 30 2005 ) was a Swiss photographer and documentary filmmaker .
Kurt Blum graduated from 1939 to 1942 a photography course in Burgdorf and studied from 1940 to 1942 graphics, painting and photography at the School of Applied Arts in Bern (now University of the Arts, Bern ). He initially worked as a photographer for the National Library of Bern and then as a freelance industrial photographer and documentary filmmaker for industrial companies. In the 1950s and 1960s, Blum created photographs and films for industrial clients as well as documentaries about artists, including one about Pablo Picasso . In 1981 he opened a gallery for paintings and photography in Praz / Vully.
His work has appeared in numerous international solo and group exhibitions and has been published in various photography books. Blum is one of the most important representatives of 20th century photography. His works are in several museums and collections, for example, in the Kunstmuseum Bern and are offered as collectors' items at high prices at auctions.
Blum is best known for his portraits of famous artists. He portrayed Fernand Leger , Georges Braque , Pablo Picasso, Sam Francis , Mark Rothko , Alberto Giacometti , Marc Chagall , Willem de Kooning and many other contemporary artists. Exceptional about his portraits is that they are done almost exclusively in the studios of the artists and gave an important insight into their work.