Andreas Gursky

In his large-format colour photos Gursky usually portrays vast panoramic views: "complete" townscapes, "endless horizons", huge factory halls and packed rooms, frequently from a bird's eye view, always from a great distance. The people in these tableaux, reminiscent of the landscape paintings of romanticism in terms of composition and lighting, are reduced to the size of tiny decorative figures, whose "individuality" seems to drown in the "ornamentation of the masses." Devoid of any trace of reproach or intention to psychologize, Gursky's portraits of exteriors and interiors capturing scenes of work and leisure are subtle descriptions of the condition of our society. Our book, the first major monograph of Gursky's photographic work since 1984, is now available again.