Shooting the Swiss teen rebels of the 1950s

Without a cause — Despite being unknown for most of his life, photographer Karlheinz Weinberger built an impressive archive of work – capturing bikers, rockers, and leather-clad outsiders. Now his artistic trove is finally being uncovered.

Before his death in 2006, Karlheinz Weinberger was little known. The Swiss photographer had spent most of his life working at Siemens plant in Zurich, only pausing briefly to shoot on his breaks, evenings and weekends. For him, his real life – the one where he got to indulge in his passion for photography – started on Friday night, and ended on Monday morning.

Weinberger’s work focused mainly on the characters living on the fringes of society. He would shoot his fellow plant workers, immigrants, bikers, rockers, and rebellious leather-clad teens – basically, anyone who positioned themselves as an “outsider” or who felt left behind in some way by mainstream culture.

Now, for the first time, Weinberger’s huge artistic trove is being published. Thanks to art-book publisher Sturm & Drang, the photographer’s stylish black and white portraits will finally see the light of day, with five volume-long photo book series currently in the works. The first publication, focusing on his run-ins with bikers and rebels, is called HALBSTARKE (a Swiss-German word for rebels/outsider – go figure).

“Tens of thousands of prints, slides and negatives have been collected, archived, numbered and indexed over the course of the last decade,” revealed Sturm & Drang in a statement. “With Halbstarke as Volume #1, Sturm & Drang publishers will follow with more releases that cover topics such as sports, tattoos and insignias, his travels to the South of Italy, and the extensive work he did with biker gangs and rockers.”

HALBSTARKE is available now via Sturm & Drang.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter


Ad

Latest on Huck

A punk rock band performing on stage, with a female lead singer belting into a microphone. Behind them, a colourful mural with graffiti-style text.
Music

Meet the hair-raised radical women of Berlin’s noise punk scene

Powertool — In his new zine, George Nebieridze captures moments of loud rage and quiet intimacy within the German capital’s female-only bands, while exploring the intersections between music, community and anti-establishment politics.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Group of people dancing at a live music performance, with a large "Spaces Beats" sign in the background.
Music

Amid tensions in Eastern Europe, young Latvians are reviving their country’s folk rhythms

Spaces Between the Beats — The Baltic nation’s ancient melodies have long been a symbol of resistance, but as Russia’s war with Ukraine rages on, new generations of singers and dancers are taking them to the mainstream.

Written by: Jack Styler

A person's face surrounded by colourful flowers. The flowers include orange, red, and yellow dahlias, as well as smaller yellow blooms. The person's expression is serious.
Music

Uwade: “I was determined to transcend popular opinion”

What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s Nigerian-born, South Carolina-raised indie-soul singer Uwade.

Written by: Uwade

Taxidermy alligator with a small monkey sitting on its head, displayed on a wooden shelf with other items.
Culture

Inside the obscured, closeted habitats of Britain’s exotic pets

“I have a few animals...” — For his new series, photographer Jonty Clark went behind closed doors to meet rare animal owners, finding ethical grey areas and close bonds.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Muscular man with arms crossed in a dark setting, 'Hard Feelings' text overlay.
Sport

Frazer Clarke: “I had a hole in my leg, I’m very lucky to be alive”

Hard Feelings — For our interview column on masculinity and fatherhood, the Olympic boxing medallist speaks to Robert Kazandjian about hard graft, the fear and triumph of his first fight, and returning to the ring after being stabbed on a night out.

Written by: Robert Kazandjian

Close-up view of a woman in a vintage pose, with flowing hair and an outstretched hand, set against a hazy, scenic background.
© Peter Palladino, courtesy of the Peter Palladino Archive.
Culture

Remembering Holly Woodlawn, Andy Warhol muse and trans trailblazer

Love You Madly — A new book explores the actress’s rollercoaster life and story, who helped inspire Lou Reed’s ‘Walk on the Wild Side’.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.