Bernd and Hilla Becher
ArtistsAbout
Bernd and Hilla Becher were a pioneering artist couple renowned for their extensive documentation of industrial landscapes across Western Europe and North America. Beginning their collaboration in 1959, they captured the essence of disappearing industrial architecture, focusing on structures like blast furnaces, cooling towers, and gas tanks. Their photographs, often presented in grids known as "typologies," highlighted the formal similarities and differences between these structures, which they referred to as "anonymous sculptures." The Bechers' work significantly influenced late twentieth-century photography, aligning with Minimalism and Conceptual art. They used a large-format camera to achieve objective, shadowless images under overcast skies. Their influence extended beyond photography, shaping the Düsseldorf School of Photography and inspiring artists like Andreas Gursky and Thomas Struth. Bernd and Hilla Becher were awarded the Hasselblad Award in 2004, and their work is featured in major museums worldwide.
