Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Photography Centre, Room 101, The Sir Elton John and David Furnish Gallery

Gas Holder, Power station, Essen-Karhap, Ruhr District, West Germany

Photograph
1974 (photographed), 20th century (made), 1975 (published)
Artist/Maker
Becher, Bernhard (maker)
Becher, Hilla (maker)
Place of origin
Essen-Karhap (photographed)
Munich (published)

The Bechers investigate the relationship between form and function, especially in regard to vernacular and industrial architecture. In many of their images they display a particular type of building in a grid, using repetition to facilitate comparison. This image of four cooling towers allows the same typological comparison in one image. The precise aesthetic that permeates the Bechers' work has had a great impact on the many photographers who have studied under them at the Düsseldorf Academy.


Object details

Category
Photographs
Object type
Photograph
TitleGas Holder, Power station, Essen-Karhap, Ruhr District, West Germany (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Gelatin-silver print
Paper
Gelatin Silver Process
Brief description
Black and white photograph of a gas holder by Berhard and Hilla Becher, made in Essen-Karnhap, 1974.
Physical description
Black and white photograph of a gas holder.
Gallery label
  • The collaborative artistic duo Bernhard and Hilla Becher are known for their views of industrial, man-made structures, empty of people. This collection of photographs depicts buildings related to generating power. Despite varying purposes and geographical locations, the buildings are architecturally similar, dominating the landscape. Often presented in grid format, their precise photographs function as a conceptual art project, ordered by type. This sense of classification is heightened by the stark documentary aesthetic.(May 2023)
  • Bernhard and Hilla Becher's photographs appear as factual, precise and apparently passive representations of utilitarian structures. The neutral, even bland, quality of their images - always taken on grey days to avoid harsh shadows - suits the industrial subject matter. They have maintained a consistency of style allowing the systematic comparison of building types in photographs often displayed together in grids. When compared with each another, the outlines of the buildings begin to take on a sculptural quality. Despite being treated equally, each structure has strong individual characteristics, revealed by the Becher's approach.(22/09/2004)
  • Bernd and Hilla Becher collaborated for over 40 years, first working together in 1959. Their systematic photography of industrial architecture brought them recognition as conceptual artists as well as photographers. With a deliberately impersonal style, they catalogued and compared the functional yet sculptural forms of steel mills and mines. The Bechers devised a system of ‘typologies’, arranging particular types of buildings in grids. They used a 10 x 8 inch large format camera to obtain detail and worked on overcast days to avoid shadows. The technical precision and serial approach of the Bechers has influenced some of the most well known fine art photographers today, including Thomas Struth, Thomas Ruff and Andreas Gursky, who were taught by them at the Düsseldorf Academy.(21/11/2012)
Credit line
Acquired from Nigel Greenwood Inc. in 1975
Object history
This is the first of a portfolio of 14 prints: “Industrial Buildings” published by Schirmer/Mosel, Munich, 1975, in association with Ilea Sonnabend. Edition of 50, the photographs were printed by the artists and mounted on white card.
Production
From a portfolio of 14 prints "Industrial Buildings" 1975.
Subject depicted
Power Plants
Place depicted
Ruhr
Summary
The Bechers investigate the relationship between form and function, especially in regard to vernacular and industrial architecture. In many of their images they display a particular type of building in a grid, using repetition to facilitate comparison. This image of four cooling towers allows the same typological comparison in one image. The precise aesthetic that permeates the Bechers' work has had a great impact on the many photographers who have studied under them at the Düsseldorf Academy.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
CIRC.642-1975

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Record createdJune 6, 2005
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O112641/gas-holder-power-station-essen-photograph-becher-bernhard/
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