Though human actors still appear in earlier land-
scapes, which suggest a kind of narration—Sonn-
tagsspazierga ̈nger, Ratingen, 1984 (Walking on
Sunday, Ratingen); Neujahrsschwimmer, 1988
(New Year’s Swimmer);Angler, Mu ̈hlheim, 1989
(Fisherman, Mu ̈hlheim)—in the evolution of his
work, human beings appear at ever greater dis-
tances or seem mediated by traces of modern civi-
lization. Even the titles emphasize the factual—
Restaurant, St. Moritz, 1991; Bo ̈rse, New York,
1991—to the point of denying additional informa-
tion. Furthermore, everyday objects remain the
focus of his camera but are presented as optical
phenomena. Surfaces and colors seem to be thor-
oughly structured elements of the photographs’
composition that confuse or even completely
destroy the spatial perspective, something that the
floating viewpoint and the distance from that
object serve to promote. It also seems to pull the
floor from under the feet of the observer. Parallel
to the development of his increasingly abstract style
was the size of his prints, which from 1988 to 2000
went from .36.185 meters to the maximum size
of a roll of photographic paper, 1.8 meters high
and 5 meters long (Tote Hosen, 2000 [Nothing
Doing]). In their presentation and reception, these
unusual large formats are very similar to painting;
as part of the everyday environment, they become
the object of another image. This is not to say that
Gursky’s work conforms to painting in its pictorial
manner; the photographs exploit painterly charac-
teristics by transforming given factual objects into
objects of monumental size, by cutting photogra-
phy from any recognizable reference of the object
photographed, and also by suggesting in its content
a kind of color-field painting, as well as a color
scheme that is negated on the flat shiny surface of
the photographic paper.
In 1992, Gursky began to use digital technology
to in part create his imagery. His first efforts con-
sisted of minor retouching, but soon he was using
the computer to construct the image, allowing a
further confusion of perspective and vantage
point. Yet Gursky holds to creating the final print
photographically, using a photo-editing program
to transform, assemble, and touch up scanned
negatives. He then creates a new negative, which
creates the final enlarged print.
Unlike many photographers, Gursky does not
work in series. Although certain staging arrange-
ments that create themes of images appeal to him,
each photograph is based on a single, precise idea
that elicits an individual image. The scenes in the
photos depict the self-evident character of everyday
life as well as oddities closely observed, both of which
Gursky turns into an abstract pattern. None of his
images is temporary or spontaneous. Rather, his
trained observing eye seeks out a theme that must
form itself into a visual concept, something that often
requires a long time to transform—in photographic
terms—into a single manageable work and leads to
the production of only a few images per year.
MarenPolte
Seealso:Documentary Photography; Farm Security
Administration; Hine, Lewis; History of Photogra-
phy: Postwar Era; Hu ̈tter, Axel; Photo League;
Photography in Germany and Australia; Ruff, Tho-
mas; Schmidt, Michael; Steinert, Otto; Struth, Tho-
mas; Wall, Jeff; Works Progress AdministrationBiography
Born in Leipzig, Germany, on January 15, 1955. From 1978
to 1981, he studied photography at the Folkwangschule,
a comprehensive high school, in Essen. Further study of
photography, Kunstakademie Du ̈sseldorf, 1981–1987; in
1985 he apprenticed with Bernd Becher. Became asso-
ciated with Galerie Johnen & Scho ̈ttle, Cologne, 1988.
Bremer Kunstpreis, 1991; Citibank Private Bank Photo-
graphy Prize, 1998; International Center of Photography
Infinity Award for Art, 2001. Living in Du ̈sseldorf.Individual Exhibitions
1987 Du ̈sseldorf Airport, Du ̈sseldorf, Germany
1988 Galerie Johnen & Scho ̈ttle, Cologne, Germany
1989 Museum Haus Lange, Krefeld, Germany
1990 303 Gallery, New York, New York
1991 Kunsthalle Zurich, Switzerland
1993 Monika Spru ̈th Galerie, Cologne, Germany
1994 Andreas Gursky: Fotografien, 1984–1993, Deichtorhal-
len Hamburg, Germany and traveling
1995 Andreas Gursky: Images, TateGallery,Liverpool, England
1997 Matthew Marks Gallery, New York, New York
1998 Currents 27: Andreas Gursky, Milwaukee Art Mu-
seum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and traveling
1998 Andreas Gursky: Fotografien, 1984–1998, Kunstmu-
seum Wolfsburg, Germany and traveling
1998 Andreas Gursky: Fotografien 1984 bis heute, Kunst-
halle Du ̈sseldorf, Germany
2001 Andreas Gursky, Museum of Modern Art, New York,
New York and travelingGroup Exhibitions
1985 Studenten der Kunstakademie Du ̈sseldorf,Ku ̈nstle-
rwerkstatt Lothringer Strasse, Munich, Germany
1989 Erste Internationale Foto-Triennale, Villa Merkel,
Esslingen, Germany
1989 In Between and Beyond: From Germany, Power Plant,
Toronto, Canada
1990 Der klare Blick, Kunstverein Munich, Germany
1991 Aus der Distanz, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfa-
len, Du ̈sseldorf, GermanyGURSKY, ANDREAS