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Klaus Ender 20009 in his photo exhibition "Nude and Landscape" in Stralsund
Photo: Stefan Sauer / dpa
He found his first models on the nudist beach, later he was mainly fascinated by nature: the East German nude and landscape photographer Klaus Ender is dead. He died at home at the age of 81, his wife Gabriela Ender told the German press agency .
The artist, who lives in Bergen on the island of Rügen, has not been able to take photos or look at his work since last year.
"Unfortunately, he had an eye attack that led to blindness," said the widow.
"It took everything away from him that had made up his life." Even as a young man he had no vision in his left eye.
Therefore, he could not learn the profession of photographer and worked as a freelancer.
"All that counts is provocation, cool and cool"
In 1962 Ender came to the island of Rügen to work as a baker during the season.
He was first confronted with nudism.
The autodidact found nude models on the beach.
He became known as a photographer in the early 1970s.
In 1975 he was one of the initiators of the first and largest nude exhibition in the GDR.
The "Nude and Landscape" hiking show attracted more than 100,000 visitors.
Ender's photos are also known from the coveted GDR magazines "Eulenspiegel" and "Das Magazin".
He also wrote aphorisms and poems, wrote books, published numerous specialist articles, calendars and art postcards.
Ender had largely turned his back on nude photography in recent years.
"All that counts is provocation, cool and cool," he said just before his 70th birthday.
It makes him sad that ethics and morals are becoming less and less valuable.
Instead, the focus of his photographic work has shifted to nature: a rose hip breaking open, a sun-drenched poppy blossom.
“The real big lies in the small,” Ender named one of his life principles.
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mkl / dpa