Thomas Struth

Coming to prominence in his native Germany in the 1970s, photographer Thomas Struth captured the atmospheric power of the contemporary urban landscape in his early black-and-white works. With an intent gaze and exacting lens, Struth expanded his range to include colour portraits, bringing a unique psychological precision to the tradition of portraiture. Perhaps Struth's best-known works are his majestic, large-scaled museum photographs depicting visitors to some of the world's great museums and buildings, including The Art Institute of Chicago, the Musee du Louvre in Paris, the Accademia in Venice, and the Pantheon in Rome. These captivating photographs not only transport us to the place depicted, they also provide a chance to re-examine our own selves looking at art. Continuing his interest in series, Struth has created expansive works based on the natural world, often training his camera on a particular contemporary melding of nature with technology and architecture. This volume presents an exploration of the photographs of Thomas Struth and accompanies a major retrospective exhibition organized by the Dallas Museum of Art.
It features essays by well-known photography and art experts who chronicle Struth's career and situate his work in the context of the history of photography and its rise in contemporary art.