Photographs 1978-2010 / Thomas Struth

“Thomas Struth’s photographs are about making order visible. And with the help of these images, the viewer finds him- or herself better able to grasp some of the many and varied faces of reality.” Photographer Thomas Struth is one of the most acclaimed artists to emerge from Europe in the late twentieth century. With great precision, clarity of color, and an unwavering instinct for composition, he addresses both important photographic motifs and informal, often little-known subjects. Struth characteristically treats the various aspects of his photographs in an even-handed way, a neutrality he also applies to the viewer, for he puts the viewing public on a par with his pictorial world. “Struth poses aesthetically formulated issues that make such an impact not least because they concern us personally and are, above all, crucial to the future of human civilization.” This lavish volume is the most comprehensive study of Struth’s œuvre, showcasing all of the famous series and images: the streetscapes of Düsseldorf, New York City, Rome, China, and elsewhere; the family portraits; the museum photographs; the flowers, plants, and rainforests; and most recently, the studies of science and technology. Struth revisits many of his subjects, adding ever more layers of complexity and interpretation. Essays by renowned curators and critics complete this essential study of one of the world’s major artists. “Struth’s work suspends both belief and doubt and shifts the subject to a bigger picture about the inescapable entanglement of experience and ideology.”