Founded twenty-eight years ago, HackelBury traces its origins to the lifelong passion for photography shared by Marcus Bury and Sascha Hackel, who have been collecting art for more than thirty-six years. This exhibition brings together the works which first ignited their interest in photography and helped shape their collecting philosophy long before the gallery opened. It also celebrates the artists whose practices have defined the gallery’s identity across the decades.
From modernist masters such as Edward Weston, Margaret Bourke-White and Consuelo Kanaga, to artists who have exhibited at the gallery including Ellen Auerbach, Berenice Abbott and Arnold Newman and to influential contemporary voices such as Seydou Keïta, Malick Sidibé, Joanne Leonard, Doug & Mike Starn, Bill Armstrong and others, the exhibition honours the individuals who have shaped HackelBury’s past and continue to inspire its future.
The works on view — ranging from Irving Penn’s Cigarette No. 82, William Klein’s exuberant Painted Contact, Joanne Leonard’s domestic interiors to Elliott Erwitt’s iconic images of Marilyn Monroe, celebrate the personal and artistic relationships at the heart of the gallery’s story. They also illuminate Sascha and Marcus’s enduring commitment to championing artists who push the boundaries of their medium to create meaningful and contemplative work.
Curated as a “memoir” with selections made by founders Sascha Hackel and Marcus Bury alongside contributions from the HackelBury team, the exhibition offers a shared reflection on the images and artists which resonate most deeply. It is a celebration of favourites, a tribute to the relationships which have shaped HackelBury, and an homage to the artists who continue to define the gallery’s vision.
