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Struth is among a small group of German artists who have helped position photography into a critical place within the contemporary visual arts. His epic, painterly approach to the medium creates complex images that capture the atmosphere of the places he photographs, and hint at the psychology of the museum goers who often populate his works. These images of visitors to galleries and historic sites emphasize the relationship between spectators and works of art, as well as the collective experience of public viewing spaces. “I felt a need to make these museum photographs because many works of art, created out of particular historical circumstances, have now become mere fetishes, like athletes or celebrities, and the original inspiration for them is fully obliterated,” says Struth. This quote seems particularly applicable to Pergamon, as it features a German museum that houses remnants of architecture that once stood in ancientGreece
Thomas Struth is the leader of a group of German photographers that has positioned large-scale color photography at the forefront of contemporary visual art. His subject matter has included cityscapes, landscapes, portraits and intimate views of flowers, but his most important series includes images of the interiors of religious sites or art museums.
Source: NEWS January February March 2003
Struth is among a small group of German artists who have helped position photography into a critical place within the contemporary visual arts. His epic, painterly approach to the medium creates complex images that capture the atmosphere of the places he photographs, and hint at the psychology of the museum goers who often populate his works. These images of visitors to galleries and historic sites emphasize the relationship between spectators and works of art, as well as the collective experience of public viewing spaces. “I felt a need to make these museum photographs because many works of art, created out of particular historical circumstances, have now become mere fetishes, like athletes or celebrities, and the original inspiration for them is fully obliterated,” says Struth. This quote seems particularly applicable to Pergamon, as it features a German museum that houses remnants of architecture that once stood in ancient
DimensionsFrame: 72 7/8 × 90 7/8 × 2 1/2 in. (185.1 × 230.8 × 6.4 cm)
Image: 67 13/16 × 85 1/2 in. (172.2 × 217.2 cm)
Image: 67 13/16 × 85 1/2 in. (172.2 × 217.2 cm)
Accession Number 2002.26
Classificationsphotograph
Copyright© Thomas Struth
Edition4/10
ProvenanceArtist; (Marian Goodman Gallery, New York); Des Moines Art Center [purchased from the previous, 2002]
