Bernd and Hilla Becher
German husband-and-wife photography team By Jim AllenGerman couple's photographs examined functionalist design from a fine-art perspective
German photographers Bernd and Hilla Becher began working together in 1959, marrying two years later. Their pioneering work examined functionalist design from a fine-art perspective, but without disrupting the structural integrity of the original designs. Shortly after meeting, the couple began their life's work of photographing industrial architecture: everything from water towers to grain elevators, blast furnaces, cooling towers, and gas tanks. They sought to capture the inherent but rarely perceived beauty in these structures, as well as documenting an early phase of industrial history that was already rapidly disappearing. Remarkably, they accomplished this while retaining a photojournalist's eye, largely abjuring overtly artful photographic devices. Their work continued into the 21st century, and they inspired a whole school of photography, not to mention planting the seeds for "industrial" sensibilities in other art forms.
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Music Review
Any Given Number (For Bernd and Hilla Becher)
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Books Review
Bernd and Hilla Becher: Life and Work
Sussane Lange
