Industrial Aesthetics

• August Sander: Dusseldorf Planetarium [Tonhalle], 1930s
  © Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur – August Sander Archive, Cologne; VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, 2021
• Bernd & Hilla Becher: Silo, Dusseldorf-Kalkum, undated © Estate of Bernd & Hilla Becher, represented by Max Becher, courtesy of Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur – Bernd and Hilla Becher Archive, Cologne
• Bernd & Hilla Becher: Dusseldorf, Rhine Harbour, 1988 © Estate of Bernd & Hilla Becher, represented by Max Becher, courtesy of Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur – Bernd and Hilla Becher Archive, Cologne
• August Sander: Mill at Kaiserswerth, 1934
  © Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur – August Sander Archive, Cologne; VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, 2021
• August Sander: Details of the world’s largest inland harbour, Duisburg-Ruhrort, before 1935 © Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur – August Sander Archive, Cologne; VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, 2021

Exploring the oeuvre of August Sander, as well as the archives of Bernd and Hilla Becher, never ceases to shine a new light on the photographers’ work. An exhibition at the Kunstarchiv Kaiserswerth in Dusseldorf currently juxtaposes the artists’ approaches in the form of two little-known thematic cycles.

The showcase, which is on display until May 29, 2022, comprises more than 50 black and white images by August Sander, captured predominantly during the 1930s. The selection features depictions of castles surrounded by bodies of water, as well as industrial plants and cityscapes (including Dusseldorf) – all of which paint a multi-faceted portrait of the Lower Rhine region. They are presented alongside large-scale, black and white photographs by Bernd and Hilla Becher, taken in Dusseldorf’s Rhine Harbour and the surrounding industrial areas. In the years from 1978 to 1990, the couple documented historical warehouses and purpose-built structures within the region in the objective visual style that characterises their oeuvre.

For further information visit Kunstarchiv Kaiserswerth Dusseldorf