Michael Gutsche was born in Germany in 1961 and developed a passion for photography at a young age. He pursued a master degree in economics at the Julius Maximilian University in Würzburg and later served as the CEO of a prominent air pollution control company. He embarked on extensive travels across Latin America, the United States, and Asia, during which he began creating his initial photographic essays in the early 1990s.
Since leaving the corporate world, he has been able to fully dedicate himself to his passion for photography.
In 2012 and 2014, he achieved national recognition through exhibitions at the cultural program of the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Museum of Communication in Berlin. In 2019, he was selected to accompany the world’s most significant Arctic expedition to date to study climate change (MOSAiC) as its official photographer. This body of work marked his international breakthrough, earning him numerous prestigious awards for his photographic documentation.
Since then, he has made multiple appearances on radio and television and has become a sought-after photographer renowned for exploring novel avenues within the photographic genre.
Education
Master of Business Administration (MBA), 1987
Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
Commissions
Expedition Photographer, MOSAiC (Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate), January – April 2020
Recognitions
"Winning Photographer", Moscow International Foto Awards, 2021
"Winning Photographer", Tokyo International Foto Awards, 2021
"Highly Commended", Belfast Photo Festival, 2021
Solo Shows
"On Thin Ice"
Klimaarena Sinsheim, from October 2025
"Viamala – Zyklus in Blau"
Galerie Bilder Fuchs, Fulda, 04.–14.09.2024
"The Arctic Key to Understanding Global Climate Change" (Film)
World Economic Forum, Davos, 16.–20.01.2023
"On Thin Ice"
Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Bremerhaven, permanent installation, since 2021
"auf draht"
Museum for Communication, Berlin, 2014
Kunstraum Heinrichstraße, Fulda, 2018
"Icelandscapes – Ein nordischer Bilderzyklus"
Vonderau Museum, Fulda, as part of the arts and culture program "Fabulous Iceland – Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2011"
Group Shows
"Into the Ice"
German Maritime Museum, Bremerhaven, 2022
"Island - Berlin – eine fotografische Zeitreise"
Kunstraum Heinrichstraße, Fulda, 2019
Collaborations
"Graubünden Classic", an audio-visual symphony concert with the Kammerphilharmonie Graubünden
- Schlosstheater Fulda, 21.09.2024
- Theater Chur (CH), 27.09.2024
Lectures
Multivisionsvortrag "Auf Dünnem Eis"
- Klimaarena Sinsheim, January 2026
- Graubündner Kantonalbank-Forum, Chur, January 2025
- Haus der Kulturen, Mainz, April 2024
- Audimax der Hochschule Fulda, November 2022
Press and Media Appearances (selected)
Fuldaer Zeitung:
- "Dramatik in Weiß und Blau – Michael Gutsches Fotos der Viamala bei Bilder Fuchs", 03.09.2024
- "Musikalische Landschaftsmalerei –'Graubünden Classic' mit Werken von Michael Gutsche im Schlosstheater", 24.09.2023
- "Das Weltwirtschaftsforum und der Klimawandel", 21.01.2023
Allgemeine Zeitung Mainz: "Wir haben dem Eis beim Sterben zugesehen", 27.02.2024
HR2 Doppelkopf: Am Tisch mit Michael Gutsche, "Polar-Stern-Fotograf", 19.06.2024
Panorama (DAV Magazin): Ausgabe 01, Augenblicke: "Sterbendes Eis", 01.2021
HR3 Sonntagstalk: Michael Gutsche über seine Teilnahme an der MOSAiC Expedition, 07.02.2021
Focus: Heft 21, "Auf dünnem Eis", 2020
Fuldaer Zeitung Journal: "Zwischen Himmel und Eis", 16.05.20
Süddeutsche Zeitung: "Das Wilde Treiben am Nordpol", 23.–24.05.20
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: "Die Expedition des Jahrhunderts", 21.10.20
International press: Nature, The Washington Post, The Independent
Other media: ZDF, SWR, RTL, HR Fernsehen