Biography

Born in 1921, Karlheinz Weinberger was a Swiss photographer whose work predominantly explores outsider cultures and turns its back on conservative middle-class values. Between 1943 and 1967 Weinberger published photos of male workers, sportsmen and bikers in the gay magazine Der Kreis under the pseudonym of Jim, taken from Hanns Eisler’s song “The Ballad of Jim.” In the late fifties and early sixties he concentrated on Swiss rock-’n’-roll youth whom he photographed with tenderness and a hint of irony. Although a passionate amateur photographer over six decades, Weinberger placed little emphasis on exhibiting his work; his first comprehensive show took place only in 2000, six years before his death.