The first comprehensive, posthumous monograph and retrospective on
Bernd and Hilla Becher, best known for their photographs of industrial
structures in Europe and North America
For more than five decades, Bernd (1931-2007) and Hilla (1934-2015)
Becher collaborated on photographs of industrial architecture in
Germany, France, Belgium, Holland, Great Britain, and the United States.
This sweeping monograph features the Bechers' quintessential pictures,
which present water towers, gas tanks, blast furnaces, and more as
sculptural objects. Beyond the Bechers' iconic Typologies, the book
includes Bernd's early drawings, Hilla's independent photographs, and
excerpts from their notes, sketchbooks, and journals. The book's authors
offer new insights into the development of the artists' process, their
work's conceptual underpinnings, the photographers' relationship to
deindustrialization, and the artists' legacy. An essay by award-winning
cultural historian Lucy Sante and an interview with Max Becher, the
artists' son, make this volume an unrivaled look into the Bechers' art,
life, and career.
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale
University Press
Exhibition Schedule:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
(July 11-October 30, 2022)
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
(December 17, 2022-April 2, 2023)
