Arno Fischer is an iconic figure in history of German photography. The starting point for the exhibition is one of Fischer's early series, Situation Berlin. These photographs were made from 1953 to 1960, just before construction of the Berlin Wall. In 1961 they were rejected for publication, but it was this series that introduced the talented photographer to the society. His prophetic image Crack in the Wall, which was created in the early 1950s became a symbol of the divided Berlin.

Documentary photography wasn’t Arno Fischer’s sole interest. After his failure with Situation Berlin he created a black-and-white series picturing German diva Marlene Dietrich, also on display at the exhibition. The actress loved these photographs so much that she asked Fischer to give her the negatives in a private letter.

This exhibition also includes images that were commissioned by the fashion magazine Sibylle published in the DDR. Indeed, Fischer and his wife Sibylle Bergemann made a revolutionary contribution to the genre of fashion photography. It was a common practice to shoot models in studio settings, for this kind of pictures was widely spread in fashion magazines like Vogue and Elle. Instead, the Fischers took models out to the streets and industrial interiors.

The last section of the exhibition is dedicated to Polaroids made in Gransee, Brandenburg, where Arno Fischer spent last years of his life. Refined, looking like watercolor paintings, these images of withered flowers and leaves, faded garden furniture comprise the Garden series, which was published as an album in Germany in 2007.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall Arno Fischer travelled around the world exploring new places, such as India and African countries. In Germany he is also known as a brilliant teacher who educated several generations of contemporary German photographers. Fischer taught master classes on photography until the last days of his life.