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Arnold Odermatt (1925-2021)
Photo: C. Schlegelmilch / Future Image / imago images
The Swiss photographer Arnold Odermatt died at the age of 96.
First the "Neue Zürcher Zeitung" reported.
A family member confirmed the death, according to Swiss radio and television (SRF).
The former policeman achieved cult status with his accident photos. He made works of art out of sheet metal damage, whether car wrecks or crushed lamp posts, mostly in black and white.
Odermatt was self-taught.
For 40 years he worked as a police officer in the Swiss canton of Nidwalden.
From 1948 onwards he photographed accidents there with his camera: an innovation.
At that time, sketches were still widespread for the police protocol.
After his retirement, his son, the director Urs Odermatt, discovered the image repertoire while researching his feature film "Wachtmeister Zumbühl" and made it public.
The photographs were later shown in several exhibitions.
In 2001 the Swiss curator Harald Szeemann selected works by Arnold Odermatt for the Venice Biennale.
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