BERND E HILLA BECHER

Bernd ( 1931-2007) and Hilla Becher (1934-2015) are two German photographers, who have become famous for their work on the documentation of European and American industrial architecture. Both study painting and graphics at the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Stuttgart and the Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf. They met in 1957 and began their professional and personal partnership, marrying in 1961.

 

 

Bernd Becher is credited with the initial interest in ruined industrial architecture, which matured during his travels in Europe. In contrast, Hilla Becher, originally interested in painting and sculpture, developed a passion for photography during her studies. Their work is characterized by a methodical and rigorous approach, with photographs taken preferably with diffuse light and an even sky, thus softening the effect of natural light and highlighting the details of structures. They organize the photographs into groups associated in grids, classified on the basis of function. This rigorous cataloging, drawn from the world of biology, also allows easier comparison between different types of buildings.

 

 

They photographed mining towers, blast furnaces, silos, cooling towers, gasometers, grain elevators, oil refineries and similar structures, making eternal structures close to demolition in the delicate transition from an industrial to an IT society.

 

 

They are able to blend their individual skills into a perfect union, which has a significant impact on contemporary photography. They would influence the next generation of photographers, including the “Düsseldorf School of Photography” movement, and their methodical and documentary approach continues to be studied and appreciated by artists and photography enthusiasts worldwide. A major retrospective has recently been dedicated to the Bechers by the Metropolitan Museum in New York (2022) and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (2022-2023).