Photography in Düsseldorf

Photography in Düsseldorf By Douglas Eklund Bernd and Hilla Becher began their collaborative project in 1959 (and were married shortly thereafter), at a time when German photography was mired in the same collective paralysis as the culture at large. The most prominent photographer at that time was Otto Steinert, whose Subjective Photography movement attempted to […]

Gil Blank and Thomas Ruff Discuss ‘Portraits’ (2004)

“In a way I wanted to blot out any traces or information about the person in front of the camera. I also wanted to indicate that the viewer is not face-to-face with a real person.”   Gil Blank with Thomas Ruff, originally published in Influence Magazine, Issue 2, 2004 Gil Blank: Many of the portraits […]

Thomas Ruff talks to Philip Pocock (1993)

Thomas Ruff talks to Philip Pocock (1993) Philip Pocock: Unlike the Neue Sachlichkeit of Sander or Renger-Patzsch, there is a clear crisis of belief in the objectivity of your medium in your work. True or false? Thomas Ruff: It’s both. It’s true and false. They also used the camera as an instrument to take pictures. […]