Author: Thomas Willaschek

Photo edition on the occasion of the 100th birthday of the great Berlin photojournalist Heinrich von der Becke

Four sprinters right on the Zeilbahn directly in front of the finishing line at chest height. In the background, the packed stadium.
Cover photo: Armin Hary becomes Olympic champion in the 100m at the 1960 Games in Rome | Heinrich von der Becke Picture Archive at the Berlin Sports Museum (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Complete photo archive in the Berlin Sports Museum. By Thomas Willaschek. In the news metropolis of Berlin, his name carried weight for more than six decades. Friends and representatives of the press esteemingly called him “Picasso with the camera” or the “Great Small Print”. Since the 1930s, many stars and celebrities of sport have stood […]

Sportmuseum Berlin – Picasso with the Camera – The Press Photographer Heinrich von der Becke (1913 -1997)

Two boxers in close-up, photographed from the side, face each other. The boxer on the left hits his opponent's nose with his fist. The boxer on the right hits his opponent's left eye and cheek with his fist. Both boxers are fully captured by the flash, the background remains black.
Cover photo: Boxing, Karl Mildenberger against Amos Joshua Johnson in Berlin's Deutschlandhalle in 1964 | Heinrich von der Becke Picture Archive at the Berlin Sports Museum (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Thomas Willaschek in the Museums Journal It was 1929 when a young man applied for an apprenticeship at the old master of sports photography and co-founder of the Charlottenburg Sports Club, Max Schirner. Four years earlier, a Dresden uncle had given the then twelve-year-old a camera, an Agfa Billy roll-film folding camera (36 RM), as […]

Heinrich von der Becke, the famous Berlin sports photographer, died ten years ago – His photos caused a sensation

Close-up on the stadium turf. Two athletes lie on their stomachs and look forward. The one on the left is looking at the camera, the one on the right is looking to the left. Both are smiling friendly.
Cover photo: Jesse Owens with Olympic champion Luz Long | Heinrich von der Becke Picture Archive in the Berlin Sports Museum (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Thomas Willaschek in “Sport in Berlin” – Magazine of the Landessportbund Berlin, June 2007 In the news metropolis of Berlin, his name carried weight for many decades: Heinrich von der Becke, the artist with the slouch hat on his head, was one of the best photographers working in Berlin.25 June 2007 marks the 10th anniversary […]