© Dominik Asbach
Andreas Gursky

© Dominik Asbach

Andreas Gursky

Born in 1955, in Leipzig (Germany)

Lives and works in Dusseldorf (Germany)

A former student of Bernd Becher in Düsseldorf, from whom he acquired his detached, objective viewpoint, Andreas Gursky appeared on the artistic scene in the 1980s. 

As of the 1990s his series have catalogued sites that are emblematic of global society, such as supermarkets, skyscrapers, factories, car parks, festivals and sporting events. Constructed around key elements that are sometimes located within the chaos of a crowd, his works reflect a paradoxical approach in which man’s obvious influence on his environment also highlights the aggressive social constraints experienced by individuals. One of the first photographers to use digital manipulation at the start of the 1990s, Gursky edits his images by removing, duplicating, reducing or enhancing sections of the original image. With their formal composition and large sizes, the works are like photographic paintings that freeze time, in which the duplication and clarity of details creates the paradoxical effect of abstraction. Rather than seeking to reflect reality, Gursky constructs his images as objects that obey his own aesthetic logic.

Selected Bibliography

Wismer, Beat. Andreas Gursky : Bangkok : [exhibition, Stiftung Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, 23 September 2012-13 January 2013]. Göttingen : Steidl, 2012. 

Mendes Bürgi, Bernhard ; Söntgen, Beate ; Zimmer, Nina. Andreas Gursky : [Ausstellung, Basel], Kunstmuseum Basel, [20 Oktober 2007-24 Februar 2008]. Ostfildern : Hatje Cantz, 2007. 

Centre national d'art et de culture Georges Pompidou (Paris). Andreas Gursky : exposition, Centre Pompidou, du 13 février au 29 avril 2002. Paris : Centre Georges Pompidou, 2002. 

Galassi, Peter ; Museum of modern art (New York , N.Y.). Andreas Gursky : [exhibition], Museum of modern art, New York, [March 4-May 15, 2001]. New York : Museum of Modern Art, 2001. 

Görner, Veit ; Lötgens, Annelie. Andreas Gursky : fotografien 1994 - 1998 = photographs 1994 - 1998 : [exhibition, Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg ; Fotomuseum Winterthur ; Serpentine Gallery, London ; Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh ; Castello di Rivoli. Museo d'Arte Contemporanea ; Centro cultural de Belém, Lisboa]. Ostfildern : Cantz, 1998. 

***   All materials available at the Documentation Centre of the Fondation  ***

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