Andreas Gursky

Andreas Gursky
Andreas Gursky in 2013
Born (1955-01-15) 15 January 1955
Leipzig, East Germany (now Germany)
Known forPhotography
Notable workRhein II
MovementDüsseldorf School of Photography
WebsiteOfficial website

Andreas Gursky (born 15 January 1955) is a German artist and a former professor at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany.[1]

He is known for his large-scale colour photographs of architecture, landscapes and contemporary life—crowds, consumer goods and the infrastructures of global capitalism—combining methodical observation with digital construction to achieve an all-over, hyper-detailed image field.[2] His works reach some of the highest prices in the art market. His photograph Rhein II was sold at Christie's for $4,338,500 on 8 November 2011. At the time it was the most expensive photograph ever sold at auction, and it remains the most expensive photograph by a living photographer.[3]

He was also involved in the establishment of the Deutsches Fotoinstitut (German Institute for Photography) in Düsseldorf, the first national institution for photography in Germany.[4]

Early life and education

Gursky was born in Leipzig, East Germany, in 1955.[5] He was the son of photographer Willy Gursky (1921–2016) and the grandson of photographer Hans Gursky (1890–1969).[6] His family relocated to West Germany, moving to Essen and then Düsseldorf by the end of 1957.[5] Between 1981 and 1987, he studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, where he was a student of Bernd Becher.[7][8] Earlier, from 1978 to 1981, he had studied visual communication with a focus on photography at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen (then Folkwangschule/Universität Gesamthochschule Essen) under photographers Otto Steinert and Michael Schmidt.[9][10]

Career and style

Before the 1990s, Gursky did not digitally manipulate his images.[11] In the years since, Gursky has been frank about his reliance on computers to edit and enhance his pictures, creating an art of spaces larger than the subjects photographed. Writing in The New Yorker magazine, the critic Peter Schjeldahl called these pictures "vast," "splashy," "entertaining," and "literally unbelievable."[12] In the same publication, critic Calvin Tomkins described Gursky as one of the "two masters" of the Düsseldorf School of Photography. In 2001, Tomkins described the experience of confronting one of Gursky's large works:[8]

The first time I saw photographs by Andreas Gursky...I had the disorienting sensation that something was happening—happening to me, I suppose, although it felt more generalized than that. Gursky's huge, panoramic colour prints—some of them up to six feet high by ten feet long—had the presence, the formal power, and in several cases the majestic aura of nineteenth-century landscape paintings, without losing any of their meticulously detailed immediacy as photographs. Their subject matter was the contemporary world, seen dispassionately and from a distance.[8]

The perspective in many of Gursky's photographs is drawn from an elevated vantage point. This position enables the viewer to encounter scenes, encompassing both centre and periphery, which are ordinarily beyond reach.[13] This sweeping perspective has been linked to an engagement with globalization.[14] Visually, Gursky is drawn to large, anonymous, man-made spaces—high-rise facades at night, office lobbies, stock exchanges, the interiors of big box retailers (See his print 99 Cent II Diptychon). In a 2001 retrospective, New York's Museum of Modern Art described the artist's work, "a sophisticated art of unembellished observation. It is thanks to the artfulness of Gursky's fictions that we recognize his world as our own."[15] Gursky's style is enigmatic and deadpan. There is little to no explanation or manipulation on the works. His photography is straightforward.[16]

The photograph 99 Cent (1999) was taken at a 99 Cents Only store on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, and depicts its interior as a stretched horizontal composition of parallel shelves, intersected by vertical white columns, in which the abundance of "neatly labeled packets are transformed into fields of colour, generated by endless arrays of identical products, reflecting off the shiny ceiling" (Wyatt Mason).[17] Rhein II (1999), depicts a stretch of the river Rhine outside Düsseldorf, immediately legible as a view of a straight stretch of water, but also as an abstract configuration of horizontal bands of colour of varying widths.[18] In his six-part series Ocean I-VI (2009–2010), Gursky used high-definition satellite photographs which he augmented from various picture sources on the Internet.[19]

Art market

Most of Gursky's photographs come in editions of six with two artist's proofs.[20]

Since 2010, Gursky has been represented by Gagosian Gallery.[21] He held the record for highest price paid at auction for a single photographic image from 2011 to 2022. His work Rhein II sold for US$4,338,500 at Christie's, New York on 8 November 2011.[22][23] In 2013, Chicago Board of Trade III (1999–2009) sold for $3,298,755, an auction record for a Gursky exchange photo.[24] A 2024 overview by the photography site Expert Photography lists Rhein II in third place among the most expensive photographs ever sold, behind works by Man Ray and Edward Steichen. It remains the most expensive photograph by a living photographer.[25]

Publications

  • Andreas Gursky. Cologne: Galerie Johnen + Schöttle, 1988. Exhibition catalogue.
  • Andreas Gursky. Krefeld: Museum Haus Lange, 1989. Exhibition catalogue.
  • Siemens Kulturprogramm: Projekte 1992. Munich: Siemens AG, 1992. Exhibition catalogue.
  • Andreas Gursky.Cologne: Buchhandlung Walther König; Zurich: Kunsthalle, 1992. Exhibition catalogue.
  • Fotografien 1984–1993. Hamburg: Deichtorhallen; Munich: Schirmer/ Mosel, 1994. Exhibition catalogue.
  • Montparnasse. Cologne: Portikus & Oktagon, 1995. Exhibition catalogue.
  • Andreas Gursky. Malmö: Rooseum Center for Contemporary Art, Malmö; Cologne, Oktagon, 1995. Exhibition catalogue.
  • Images. London: Tate, 1995. Exhibition catalogue.
  • Andreas Gursky: Fotografien 1984 bis heute. Düsseldorf: Kunsthalle Düsseldorf; Munich: Schirmer/Mosel, 1998. Exhibition catalogue.
  • Andreas Gursky. Fotografien 1994–1998. Wolfsburg: Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg; Ostfildern, Hatje Cantz, 1998. Exhibition catalogue.
  • Currents 27. Andreas Gursky. Houston: Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, 1998. Exhibition catalogue.
  • Andreas Gursky. New York: Museum of Modern Art; Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2001. Exhibition catalogue.
  • Andreas Gursky. Paris: Centre national d’art et de culture Georges-Pompidou, 2002. Exhibition catalogue.
  • Andreas Gursky. Cologne: Snoeck, 2007. Edited by Thomas Weski. ISBN 978-3-936859-62-1. With an essay in English and German by Weski, and a text by Don DeLillo, "In Yankee Stadium". Exhibition catalogue.
  • Andreas Gursky. Basel: Kunstmuseum; Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2007. Exhibition catalogue.
  • Kaiserringträger der Stadt Goslar 2008. Goslar: Mönchehaus Museum; Goslar, Verein zur Förderung moderner Kunst, 2008. Exhibition catalogue.
  • Architektur. Darmstadt: Institut Mathildenhöhe; Ostfildern, Hatje Cantz, 2008. Exhibition catalogue.
  • Werke – Works 80-08. Kunstmuseen Krefeld/ Moderna Museet, Stockholm/ Vancouver Art Gallery; Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2008. Exhibition catalogue.
  • Andreas Gursky. Los Angeles: Gagosian Gallery; New York: Rizzoli, 2010. Exhibition catalogue. Two volumes.
  • Andreas Gursky at Louisiana. Louisiana: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art; Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2011. Exhibition catalogue.
  • Bangkok. Düsseldorf: Stiftung Museum Kunstpalast; Göttingen: Steidl, 2012. Exhibition catalogue.
  • Andreas Gursky. Tokyo: The National Art Centre; Osaka: The National Museum of Art; Tokyo/Osaka: Yomiuri Shimbun, 2013. Exhibition catalogue.
  • Landscapes. Exhibition catalogue. Water Mills: Parrish Art Museum; New York: Rizzoli, 2015.
  • Andreas Gursky. Steidl/Hayward Gallery, 2018. Exhibition catalog.

Exhibitions

Gursky’s first solo exhibition was held at Galerie Johnen & Schöttle, Cologne, in 1988. This was followed by Andreas Gursky, Kunsthalle Zürich, Switzerland, in 1992. In 2001 he presented a solo exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York. Major museum exhibitions include Haus der Kunst, Munich (2007); Kunstmuseum Basel (2007–2008); Andreas Gursky: Werke/Works 1980–2008, Museen Haus Lange and Haus Esters, Krefeld (2008); Andreas Gursky, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk (2012); Andreas Gursky, The National Art Center, Tokyo (2013); Andreas Gursky – nicht abstrakt, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, K20, Düsseldorf (2016); Andreas Gursky, Hayward Gallery, London (2018); and Andreas Gursky. Visual Spaces of Today, MAST Bologna (2023). His work has also been shown in international exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale (1990 and 2004) and the Biennale of Sydney (1996 and 2000).[26]

Public collections

Gursky's work is held, among others, in the following public collections:

See also

References

  1. ^ Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. "Prof. Andreas Gursky". Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  2. ^ "White Cube Artists Andreas Gursky". White Cube Gallery. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  3. ^ "Sale 2480 / Lot 44". Christie's. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  4. ^ Knöfel, Ulrike (10 January 2020). "So wird die Fotografie unsterblich". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  5. ^ a b Andreas Gursky profile Archived 2 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Guggenheim.org. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  6. ^ "Andreas Gursky, Exhibitions". Museum der bildenden Künste, Leipzig. 31 August 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  7. ^ Biro, Matthew (2012). "From Analogue to Digital Photography: Bernd and Hilla Becher and Andreas Gursky". History of Photography. 36 (3): 353–366. doi:10.1080/03087298.2012.686242. ISSN 0308-7298. S2CID 194076676 – via Taylor & Francis.
  8. ^ a b c Tomkins, Calvin. The New Yorker. "The Big Picture." 22 January 2001.
  9. ^ "fotofeinkost | Andreas Gursky Werke 80-08". 4 January 2009. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  10. ^ "PDF excerpt biography Andreas Gursky" (PDF). Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  11. ^ Warren, Lynne. Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Photography. 2006, page 644
  12. ^ Schjeldahl, Peter. The New Yorker. "Reality Clicks." 27 May 2002.
  13. ^ Andreas Gursky: New work, 23 March—5 May 2007 White Cube, London, UK.
  14. ^ Williams-Wynn, Christopher (2016). "Images of equivalence: exchange-value in Andreas Gursky's photographs and production method". Photography & Culture. 9 (1): 3–24. doi:10.1080/17514517.2016.1153264. ISSN 1751-4517. S2CID 147375671 – via Taylor & Francis.
  15. ^ Museum of Modern Art. "Andreas Gursky." Exhibition Catalog, 2001
  16. ^ David Grosz, "From Shore to Gursky, Part I", Art+Auction, archived from the original on 4 March 2008, retrieved 16 April 2008
  17. ^ Andreas Gursky, 99 Cent, 2001 Archived 5 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine UBS Art Collection, Zürich. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  18. ^ The Andreas Gursky: Rhine II (1999) Tate Collection.
  19. ^ Andreas Gursky, 1 May-21 June 2010, Sprüth Magers, Berlin.
  20. ^ Sarah Thornton Bedfellows. Two artists who understand the beauty of business, The Economist; 20 September 2009.
  21. ^ Carol Vogel (4 November 2010), New At The Galleries The New York Times.
  22. ^ Public Lot Details (November 2011)
  23. ^ Maev Kennedy (11 November 2011). "Andreas Gursky's Rhine II photograph sells for $4.3m". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  24. ^ Gursky's Chicago stock exchange photo sells with 169% increase, Paul Fraser Collectibles
  25. ^ Jokkel, Dora (11 December 2024). "10 Most Expensive Photographs Ever Sold". Expert Photography. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  26. ^ Gursky, Andreas. "Solo Exhibitions / Group Exhibitions". Andreas Gursky. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  27. ^ Gursky, Andreas. "Shanghai". The Art Institute of Chicago. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  28. ^ "Gursky | Museu Coleção Berardo | Lisboa". pt.museuberardo.pt. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  29. ^ "Andreas Gursky". /castellodirivoli.org. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  30. ^ "PCF, Paris". Centre Pompidou. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  31. ^ Andreas Gursky at the Kunsthaus Zürich (German)
  32. ^ "Stale Session". sammlungonline.kunstmuseumbasel.ch. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  33. ^ "Andreas Gursky at the Kunstmuseum, Bonn". Archived from the original on 8 October 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  34. ^ Nordrhein-Westfalen, Kunstsammlung. "Kunstsammlung NRW: Startseite". Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  35. ^ "Andreas Gursky | LACMA Collections". collections.lacma.org. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  36. ^ Andreas Gursky at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
  37. ^ "Milwaukee Art Museum | Collection". collection.mam.org. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  38. ^ "Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo". /fundacionjumex.org. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  39. ^ "Kulturelles Erbe Köln: Gursky, Andreas, Paris, Montparnasse". www.kulturelles-erbe-koeln.de. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  40. ^ "MCA – Collection: Chicago Board of Trade II". mcachicago.org. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  41. ^ "Andreas Gursky". www.moca.org. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  42. ^ "Andreas Gursky | MoMA". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  43. ^ "Andreas Gursky". www.nationalgalleries.org. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  44. ^ "Artist Info". www.nga.gov. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  45. ^ "Gursky, Andreas". SFMOMA. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  46. ^ "Andreas Gursky born 1955". www.guggenheim.org. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  47. ^ "Andreas Gursky born 1955". www.stedelijk.nl. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  48. ^ "Andreas Gursky born 1955". Tate. Retrieved 10 September 2021.

Further reading

  • Grosenick, Uta; Riemschneider, Burkhard, eds. (2005). Art Now (25th anniversary ed.). Köln: Taschen. pp. 124–127. ISBN 9783822840931. OCLC 191239335.
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