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‘Once upon a time, there was a Swiss policeman named Arnold Odermatt, whose photographs long went unnoticed, but who then achieved international recognition when the photographer himself was past retirement age. Born into a family of eleven children in the canton of Nidwalden in 1925 – his father was a forester – Arnold Odermatt initially apprenticed as a baker and pastry cook. He was forced to leave that profession, however, because of an allergy, and by chance he ended up joining the cantonal police, where he spent the next forty years. He was responsible in particular for road safety in this little canton isolated in the middle of Switzerland, hemmed in by the Alps and Lake Lucerne.
‘At the age of ten, Arnold Odermatt won a camera in a competition and taught himself how to use it, which grew into what can only be called a passion for photography. He took his twin-lens Rolleiflex with him wherever he went, photographing the people and landscapes of the region and later his wife and children. He also incorporated photography into his day-to-day work, using it to document traffic accidents, which were quite common at the time.
‘However, Odermatt’s hobby was met with indifference by those around him, and for fifty years he captured tens of thousands of images which, carefully stored and organized, languished in his attic, until one day in the early 1990s, his son, Urs Odermatt, himself a director and filmmaker, came upon them. The retired policeman’s photographs were published in a book edited by his son, and recognition for the work grew steadily. Exhibited in 1998 at police headquarters in Frankfurt am Main during the Frankfurt Book Fair, the black and white images of vehicles damaged in accidents caught the attention of the celebrated curator Harald Szeemann, who showed them at the Venice Biennale in 2001. From that point on, the Swiss policeman’s photographs were internationally acclaimed. Three books were published by Steidl, one of the most prominent publishers in the photography world, and his images were exhibited by numerous museums and galleries in Europe and the United States.
‘All of the prerequisites were in place for the creation of an ‘Odermatt legend’ that would be especially attractive to the contemporary art world. Like Eugène Atget, Jacques-Henri Lartigue, and Miroslav Tichý, Odermatt belongs to that special category of ‘outsiders’ discovered late in life, cut off from the art world and unconcerned with concepts or declarations of intent. As a figure of ‘artistic innocence,’ he compels us to question the shifting boundaries between art and non-art, between art and art brut or ‘outsider art.’ Arnold Odermatt’s work is difficult to categorize because it seems to include both applied professional photography when he is ‘on duty’ as well as amateur photography when he is ‘off duty.’ What is certain is that the power and originality of his images, in contrast with his complete absence of formal artistic training and his long isolation, problematize what may be called ‘artistic intention’ and its role in the quality of the images produced. Is a self-taught photographer with no formal training who has never called his images ‘art’ therefore devoid of Kunstwollen? Because it is so difficult to make assumptions about intentions that are not expressed as a conceptualized and verbalized desire to ‘make art,’ I will consider the unrecognized character of Arnold Odermatt’s practice, but will do so without using terms like ‘naïve’ or ‘outsider,’ which are too fraught with connotations and too reductive. In what follows, I will suggest that these belatedly recognized artists be referred to as unsanctioned artists (artistes non-homologués). This term is an indirect reference to one of Dubuffet’s earliest essays on art brut; it makes it possible to group together the various ‘irregular’6 practices by virtue of their contrast with official art world channels, without, however, stigmatizing them by setting up a dualism in which art is opposed to non-art. The term ‘sanction’ signals official recognition, but does it alter the nature of what it consecrates?
‘The contrast between images that satisfy the art world’s expectations in terms of their quality and a photographer who stubbornly refused to seek any kind of critical recognition for his work seems to endow Odermatt’s practice with an obvious appeal as something ‘instinctive’ and ‘authentic.’’ — Caroline Recher
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Further
Arnold Odermatt Website
AO @ Galerie Springer
‘Arnold Odermatt – Beyond the Seven Mountains’
‘Karambolage (Smash-up)’
AO reviewed @ Frieze
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Video
Arnold Odermatt – Die Ästhetik der Karambolage
Arnold Odermatt – Rasthaus
Arnold Odermatt und John Waters – Fotomuseum Winterthur
Trailer: ‘Crash Course: The Accidental Art of Arnold Odermatt’
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Other works
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Biography
‘Arnold Odermatt the Nidwalden Police in 1948. He was forced to give up his original career as a bakery and pastry chef on health grounds. As the policeman Arnold Odermatt first appeared with his Rolleiflex at the scene of an accident – to provide photos to complement the police report, people found this rather disconcerting. At that time, photography was anything other than an independent means of providing the police with evidence.
‘A colleague observed Arnold Odermatt as he took pictures for the force and was suspicious. He was ordered to report to his commander immediately. Odermatt managed to convince his superiors of the pioneering work he was doing. They allowed him to convert an old toilet in an observation post in Stans into a makeshift dark room. When the observation post was moved into another building several years later, Switzerland’s first police photographer was given his own laboratory.
‘Arnold Odermatt’s biggest role model was the famous Magnum photographer Werner Bischof. He met him once by chance, as he was on security duty on the Bürgenstock and wanted to photograph Charlie Chaplin. Odermatt’s own style was characterised by sobriety and authenticity. The spartan linguistic expression of his police reports can also be found in Odermatt’s images. His craftsmanship is beyond question, nothing of note is missed by his photographic eye. In KARAMBOLAGE, his most famous series of work, you can’t see the maimed victims but you do see the ethereal, surreal sculptures of scrap metal. With the softness and melancholy of Jacques Tati, he looks at the consequences of speed and the hectic nature of modern times.
‘For 40 years, Arnold Odermatt captured the daily work of the Nidwalden police force. It was only rarely that the local press, the court or an insurance company were interested in his photos. It was only when his son, the film and theatre director Urs Odermatt, showed the photos in for the first time at a solo exhibition in Frankfurt am Main that the art scene first became interested in his work. After the inspiring exhibition, the photo book Meine Welt followed. Suddenly the everyday observations from the central Swiss province had gained the same status as those of his well-travelled predecessor, Werner Bischof.
‘At an early stage in his police career, when Arnold used the camera to catalogue traffic accidents, this was a revolutionary innovation in the Swiss police. If Arnold Odermatt were to turn up at a crime scene with his camera today, he could expect to be told that photography was not for him, but was instead the job of a specially trained police photographer.’ — collaged
Arnold Odermatt – Prominenz auf dem Bürgenstock.
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Show
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p.s. Hey. ** Steve Finbow, Hi, Steve! My great pleasure. Yes, next time you’re in Paris let’s meet, that would be great. ** Dominik, Hi!!! Ka-ching! I will report back from my zLib ‘shopping’ trip. I will avoid ‘Eric’ like the plague, thank you so much and condolences re: love’s fruitless 90 or so minutes spent thereby. Love getting in a car wreck and thinking ‘finally, I am art’ while he waits for the paramedics to arrive, G. ** Nasir, Hi, Nasir. Great to see you, pal. New? Mm … slightly advanced versions of the same old thing probably. Changing, like, how? I hope it’s not as fatally hot where you are as I just read it is. ** _Black_Acrylic, Yep. Hey, dude, the new PTv2 was/is great through and through. I especially loved the Gladio, HYMN, and [grens] tracks. And the Noizeclot -> Deutsch Nepal ending was perfect. Thank you, maestro! Oh, I’ll search the news for how Scotland deals with Germany today hoping it’s a total devastation. ** James Bennett, Hi, James. Sorry about the blog’s inexplicable persnickety-ness. I’ve read Bassani’s ‘The Gold-rimmed Spectacles’, but I think that’s all. I liked it. I think doing whatever you want so you can get excited/curious again is the right approach. I try to save my grinding for the later editing part when cranking and maintaining objectivity is an easier combo. Yes, definitely on the Paris coffee. Do you have my email? It’s denniscooper72@outlook.com, and you can let me know there what your local schedule is when time is right. I am into Antonioni, yes. ‘L’aventura’, ‘Red Desert’, and ‘Blow Up’ are my favorites, I think. Thanks about the film woes, but I think I’m going to be stiuck with them for a while. Soldiering on. ** jay, Hi, Cool, glad the book looks good. No, I don’t think I know that UK serial murderer court case, but now I’m curious, of course. I think your boyfriend makes a lot of sense. I think the idea that being disgusted shows you have high morals is pretty bogus. ** Lucas, Hi, Lucas. That cake was god in a sugary form, seriously. I miss it. Again, you live in an awfully, awfully serenely attraction place. I’m without a reciprocal photo today, but I’ll take one of something potentially viewable+ today if it’s the last thing I do. Oh, god. what a bore, that yt opinionator. You can imagine what people assume about me even though my arrest record — growing marijuana in my backyard, unpaid parking tickets — indicates otherwise. Nice re: your half brother. I haven’t seen my half brother in years, but all he ever did was talk about American football and laugh a lot. Sorry for the excessive heat. I fear for us over here. Thursday was shitty, to be perfectly frank, but it’s over, and I’m going to see some live music and eat Ethiopian tonight, so all’s theoretically good. I hope your Friday is/was cool and breezy even if that’s artificially generated. ** Don Waters, Hi. Don. It’s amazing: Naoshima. Actually there are three art islands right next to each other. And you should go to Japan as soon as it’s possible. It’s an amazement of a place. ‘Short Letter, Long Farewell’ is a good one, or I sure thought so when I read it. Thanks for the fill-in about Iris Owens. I’m very intrigued. She should be fairly easy to find here, it sounds like. Awesome, dude. How did Friday treat you? ** Steve, We don’t have a documentary idea in mind although we talk about wanting to do one frequently. It’s also easier to get funding for documentaries over here for some reason. I haven’t hit download on zLib yet, but I don’t anticipate viruses unless it’s really changed, and, well, I guess it has. I’ll tiptoe, albeit with my fingertips. ** Harper, Hi, H. ILP is pretty stellar, yeah. Oh, right, toothpicks! I forgot how helpful they were. And mine weren’t even flavored. Toothpicks are undervalued. By me too, apparently. That’s so seriously stressful about your apartment situation. I mean, yeah, you will sort or tough it out and be fine, but the worrying in the meantime, Jesus. I wish I had more peace of mind to vibe onto you, but you can have my vestiges if vibes are real. ** Uday, Hi. I’ve heard of Anna’s Archive. I’ll check it out. It’s a membership site, I think? ‘Salo’ in middle school, whilst fever-ridden nonetheless: impressive. I’m a weirdo who doesn’t like that film. I know, I know. I think it’s silly. I know, I know. I actually possess a dry wit in person, or so people say. If so, I think it’s a lucky accident. Maybe a collected p.s. plus comments book? ** Dev, I will. I’m angled towards them. I’ve only seen ‘ST’, ‘Sunday in the Park with George’, and ‘Merrily We Roll Along’, and the last one only because an ex-boyfriend of mine starred in the original, doomed Broadway production of it, poor thing. I liked ‘SitPwG’. Sondheim was sitting near me when I saw it frantically talking notes. Well, I encourage you to finish that story, obviously. Think about it, or, wait, do more than think about it. ** 🐌Darby🐛, Who doesn’t? (Tons and tons of people). On second thought, I believe you about centi- and millipedes. I think one scared the shit out of me when I was, like, 3 years old. I need to unburden myself. Mechanics are cooler than pilots any old day, so, cool. Stylish in the sense that they make this bird who sometimes joins them and tries to imitate them look like a dork. I was kind of obsessed with Gacy’s last, Robert Piest. In fact, he has a small co-starring role in my novel ‘I Wished’ even. Never heard of Baraboo Bonebreaker, no. But I will endeavor to enlighten myself re: that. Thank you. I hope you really did wish me a goof weekend because that’s exactly the kind of weekend I want. And same to you! xo. ** Justin D, It does, right? And I have an actual copy, and it lives up in person. Early happy birthday! What are you going to do to make that day fun or less unfun than you expect? I hear you: I see my birthdays as just one more notch on my death sentence. I don’t think I ever watched any of those Brat Pack movies and yet I’m curious to watch that doc, and that seems weird, but I am. And I will. Yesterday sucked due the film producer shit, and Zac and I are troopers, but I think everything is going to suck kind of hard for at least weeks to come. Ah, life. But I’ll have fun. I’ll eat something chocolatey for your birthday for one thing. See, now that will help. Thank you for being born at this point in time. ** Shirley, That needs orchestral accompaniment if it doesn’t already have it. Mm, yes, I’ve had other friends who slept with famous people, and I’ve had famous friends who slept with non-famous people too. And I have slept with a famous person or two, but my lips are sealed. You? ** Oscar 🌀, I love being greeted by a high pitched scream, so thank you. I think it’s really a shame that dogs’ jaws and tongues are too rudimentarily designed to be able to pronounce the words ‘Hi Oscar’ because I have it on good authority that they really want to. Congrats to your grubby paws, speaking of dogs. I’ll resist the temptation to suggest that you start sleeping in bulletproof pajamas. No, I don’t think that’s weird. I myself can handle pretty much anything in books or movies, but, in real life, I can’t almost at all. Ecstatic Friday to you and to your newly enlightened bf too. ** Bill, Hi. She knew her shit, yep. ** Okay. Something came over me that caused me to restore this old post about a policeman whose photographs of the aftermaths of car crashes caused him to be considered an artist. See you tomorrow.
Now available in North America 
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great stuff today! there’s always something i find so compelling about car accident aftermaths, there’s something about huge objects colliding with everyday spaces that really interests me. particularly when the car’s been cleaned up, it often just looks like a meteorite or piece of debris just destroyed or bent a fence or signpost.
pretty recently a car must have hit a wall on my street, because an entire piece of lawn/wall was completely chewed up. it looked pretty bad, but there didn’t seem to be any discussion about it on the news or street message groups. given that the car was gone, it really did feel incredibly strange, like some kind of pocket of unreality.
i am always a huge fan of spaces being somewhat altered during events, and performing sort of emotional investigations into spaces. pretty recently one of my friends had a huge argument with his girlfriend while pacing around with a cigarette, and he left this black oval trail in the sitting room that I’ve almost resigned myself to never clean up.
the serial killer case is that “angel of death” hospital worker, involving the premature children. there seems to be some new statistical analysis that indicates she may be innocent. it’s all rather miserable, particularly given the way the jury have most likely already made their minds up, based on the reporting in the media.
im glad you agree about disgust/morality!
P.S., i think a few of the images you embedded seem corrupted!
sorry for the followup, ive just realised what i like so much about these pictures – i think it may be the fact that (as still images), they almost feel like they could be taken both as the car flies towards the camera, or hours later, when the photographer / viewer is entirely safe. obviously it’s the latter, but still. it slightly reminds me of that hockney painting “Pool with Two Figures”, inasmuch as the implied amount of movement in the still image entirely recontextualises the work – it’s either a still body floating in a pool with an onlooker, or a moment of intimacy between two people. anyway, just my feelings on this kind of thing! have a great day.
Cool…
I once played a Beaver in a renowned lion the witch and the wardrobe production and got to to go with a famous man who was playing the grandfather clock, so, yes I have a lot
I felt a bit like michael j fox/marty mcfly
I’m a fan of a US photographer named Mell Kilpatrick who worked for the police and took 1000s of photos of car wrecks in the 50s. Some are collected in this book titled Car Crashes & Other Sad Stories and I recommend it. He also took some of the 1st photos of Disneyland back when it opened.
Thank you for being so complimentary about Play Therapy v2.0! Just FYI, Gladio = Legowelt and that label Mighty Robot Recordings was operated out of Dundee by my friend iamelectron. They’ve not released records in awhile, but there was some great stuff by various Dutch Electro freaks!
Hey Dennis, how’s things? Just a very quick one from me – I have a question about 2 books that you’ve mentioned to me/us, and I can’t seem to track them down.
The first you mentioned when we were having coffee a while ago, when I was talking about my own novel idea you told me about a French novel, nouveau roman, which you said was just a description of a room, I seem to remember it had 3 sections, and anything plot or character based was stripped out.
The second was a book that you profiled on the blog, but a few years ago now, maybe 2021? It was yet again a French novel, set in Paris, of the same era (I want to say 1950s) and thematic concerns as Genet (the novel was loosely autobiographical and recounted the guy selling sex among other things) but much less well-known.
I don’t know if any of that rings a bell, but if so let me know! I fly to Japan on Monday so just trying to pull a maximum of ebooks to read on planes and trains. I may drop in here from time to time in my absence but if not, wish you a summer that’s like the Burial track ‘Unknown Summer’, in other words subjectively very pleasing to me, and hoping it’s pleasing to you as well in whichever way you choose. Will let you know once I’m back in Paname, xoT
Hi Dennis — European car crashes are much more romantic, don’t u agree? Did u connect with Lydia? She also helped book my NYC Myth Lab launch with Whitney Mallett. I’m performing somthing fr Myth Lab tomorrow (Sat) at this LARB event: https://lareviewofbooks.org/event/short-stories-2024/ AND…. my LARB Kraftwerk review popped yesterday: https://lareviewofbooks.org/short-takes/skelley-music-kraftwerk/
I promise to lob the 1st question for our Write or Die convo in 3 2, 1….
xo
Jack
I love this post today. Also, I think my comment yesterday glitched or something, but I just wanted to say thanks for the great advice/words of wisdom. Really truly appreciate it.
hi dennis,
no pressure on the reciprocal photo taking, I just really like taking photos haha. you should see my social media: it’s just an endless stream of endless images of forests and animals and whatnot. maybe becoming a photographer would be a good fallback plan if that were ever a smart idea. I was in the city today and it was pretty, I think, though I also tried to crop out the cars in these pics https://imgur.com/a/Xe1kPVN
I’m sorry to hear about your shitty day yesterday, though live music and ethiopian food sound like a great way to recover from that. wishing you a cool and breezy weekend also!
btw ‘I saw the tv glow’ is finally on vod so you can see it in hd on whatever fake streaming site you prefer (I use fmovies). I’ve been avoiding seeing it—mostly because I don’t like watching whatever’s trendy to keep away from recency bias—but also because, even though it’s supposedly the definitive trans movie of our time, it seems a bit silly to me. some people whose opinions I tend to agree with also dislike it, which makes me a little more apprehensive. I saw the director’s first feature—‘we’re all going to the world’s fair’—some time ago and I loved it, but that may just be because I identified with it tons—I’ve been using the internet almost daily since I was like 5 or 6 years old, so of course I’m going to appreciate a movie that speaks to my experience of being a chronically online teenager. not that it’s bad to make therapeutic art about your experiences and see yourself represented in it, but I’m a little sick of it re: trans specific art, because a lot of it is very dull and mostly only appeals to people very early in transition. I guess that also applies more broadly to queer art but it’s definitely a problem within trans spaces, imo. anyway, have a great day!
Hi!!
Looking through Arnold Odermatt’s photos, I can’t stop thinking how strange it is that his pictures feel so quiet despite their subject matter. They don’t feel violent, gory, or voyeuristic. There’s always a perfect composition, in which the cars are just objects. Fascinating work. Thank you for reviving this post!
Unfortunately, “Eric” took more than 90 minutes – it’s a miniseries…
I’d like to say something positive and sunny, but I can weirdly relate to love’s idea, so… I just hope he’s not fatally injured?
Love letting my brother find his beloved sunglasses he lost last night, Od.
I just had a maddening conversation with my father. If you accuse your neighbor of stealing from you, why are you surprised that she gets angry at you and won’t come over to do favors anymore? When I suggested that some of these “thefts” could just be memory lapses, he got angry at me. Oy fucking vey.
The lack of sensationalism in these photos is really striking. There’s something very distant about them, without being overly clinical.
Last night, I saw CINEMA LAIKA, a documentary about a theater founded by Aki Kaurismaki in a small Finnish town last year. It’s a very idealistic vision of cinephilia, with the movie theater envisioned as a community center. The absence of talk of money was so refreshing (although it did make wonder how the theater was financed.)
For Gregg Araki fans, his long-unavailable second feature THE LONG WEEKEND (O’ DESPAIR) recently started streaming through NYU’s website. The first hour is here: https://findingaids.library.nyu.edu/tamwag/tam_416/video/5tb2rq1h/, the last half hour here: https://findingaids.library.nyu.edu/tamwag/tam_416/video/2280gph6/
It is as hot as you can imagine right now, but it’s not the worst summer we’ve had. As far as changes go, just moving and work and stuff. I trust the weather on your end is much better, and I hope the advancement about the old things are for the better. Trying to get back to the rhythm with my usual writing but it’s been a bit harder than I’d like.
In the spirit of today’s post I’d like to leave you with one question: How good of a driver are you?
See ya
Hey, Dennis. I guess we’re all lookie-loos today, eh? Har har. I just no joke drove by a car crash this AM. Not a big one, but everyone slowed down and looked at the side collision. That artist I mentioned a while back, Adam Frelin, the guy behind “Breathing Lights,” he published a book of photographs featuring trees hit by cars. A universal obsession, maybe? Still, I do like the ‘outsider’ aspect to this photographer; there’s something so fascinating about ‘outsider artists’ being celebrated, esp. when being celebrated wasn’t their original intent. Something did strike me while reading through “Smothered…” So many of the visual artists you write about or interview heavily name-check, as though ‘to be’ an artist one needs to know one’s position in relation to other artists. Just an observation. This guy, it seems, was just doing his thing. My Friday? Up early every morning, 5:30am, get kiddos up, breakfast, dressed. Dude, I’m a regular Ward Cleaver in the mornings! Later, worked on my novel, and now I’m killing an hour before picking up my oldest. Right now, I’m going through old banker’s boxes, figuring out what’s destined for Goodwill. I have all these…CDs, records, you know. Boxes and boxes. I sent you an email earlier. Don’t know how often you check. Sorry for its length! Have a great weekend. Take care, Don
Hey Dennis. I’m doing what I can to get through it all. I’ve spent all day putting up posters and advertising the rooms online. I had a call with my landlords and luckily they agreed to push the deadline for flatmates up to a week. My current flatmates are not being very pleasant unfortunately. I drafted a text to tell them that I’m barely hanging on but didn’t send it. I’m doing everything I can but I don’t know. I’ve completely forgotten how I used to feel everyday before all of this. All I want is to relax for a moment but I’m prodded up by the urge to fix everything. I called my parents and they don’t believe anything I tell them, they call me a drama queen and nothing I can say will change that. I know this whole situation will sound like nothing to some but I guess it’s the straw that broke the camel’s back half way through a rough year. I’ve always been someone who is hit hardest by what people call ‘trivial’ things and the big important things affect me less because they don’t even feel real when they are happening. Anyway, I have to face one of my landlords face to face tomorrow so wish me luck because it’ll be awkward as hell.
Hey, Dennis! I’m loving Arnold’s photography. For a self-taught photographer who wasn’t interested in making art—he certainly had an eye for it. It almost gives his work a sort of anti-establishment ‘coolness’. Thanks for the birthday wish. I tend to not want to make a big deal of my birthdays, but I have agreed to attend a dinner party/evening thrown in my honor. Hopefully it won’t be too painful. 😝Like Lucas mentioned, ‘I Saw the TV Glow’ is now available on VOD, so I think I’ll dive into that either tonight or tomorrow. I know the reviews are pretty mixed, but I’m still curious. Hope you have a lovely weekend and thanks for the early birthday present in the form of tomorrow’s escorts post.
Asked around informally today and many peoples’ first brushes with death seem to be car accidents. I don’t know if it’s the same on your end but the blog is taking forever to load. I do like Salo, but I don’t think it’s the greatest film or anything (or even Pasolini’s best). You having dry wit in person tracks from interviews. I remember some (podcast?) you did where I could tell you were somewhat over the questions. The exasperation in your voice only compounded when they didn’t get your levity. “It’s just so lazy; I can’t stand laziness” your voice echoes with its California baritone.
Also would you recommend Lina Wertmuller either way?
Last night there was someone playing bagpipes on the street outside (most likely due to the Scotland v Germany score (5-1), a car crash not even Arnold Odermatt could’ve done justice), and after he’d gone through all the top bagpipe hits a few times over he started doing an improv piece called ‘Hi, Dennis!’ I forgot to record it, but it was really good. Promise.
Finally getting around to reading ‘Life: A User’s Manual’ this weekend. Excited but it’s also pretty daunting — I haven’t read a book this big (~600 pages) in a while. I always gravitate towards < 300 page stuff? It’s just a friendlier length. Also, did you see that Keanu Reeves and China Miéville are releasing a book together? You probably did, I’m guessing, but just in case you didn’t! I didn’t even know Keanu had written anything before.
How’s your weekend looking? I hope you nail some sort of busy-without-being-rushed scheduling, which is always the dream.
Some of these photos are gorgeous. Odermatt has such a great eye.
Dennis, do you know the queer film zine Little Joe? I really like the few issues I have, but most of the early ones have been impossible to find. Pretty excited this just came out:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212402497-little-joe
The back cover has an endorsement by Ben Whishaw! He’s already high on my secret boyfriends list; this easily bumps him up a few notches.
Bill