Thomas Struth

Thomas Struth: The precise depiction of reality

 

Since the late 1990s, the photographic artist Thomas Struth (*1954) has been one of the most prominent and internationally successful figures in contemporary art. As a graduate of the first generation of the legendary Becher Class at the Düsseldorf Art Academy, he has radically renewed the aesthetics of the documentary gaze. A defining feature of Struth’s artistic practice is his serial approach to rigorously conceived series of works, which often span decades. His range of subjects extends from deserted street scenes and intimate portraits, through floral structures, family groups and landscapes, to complex industrial and technological installations. However, it was only through his groundbreaking series ‘The Architecture of the Streets’, his psychologically dense ‘Portraits’ and the monumental ‘Museum Photographs’ – which make the act of seeing itself the subject – that he established himself as a leading figure both in international art criticism and on the global art market.

 

Since the turn of the millennium, Thomas Struth’s artistic development has been extensively documented on film. This decades-long documentation initially culminated in a comprehensive 33-minute film, which was released in 2014 as part of the IKS’s renowned DVD series and offered collectors and institutions alike a deep insight into his work. In early 2021, this film archive was significantly expanded: Ralph Goertz’s 40-minute Director’s Cut was released on the ‘Vimeo on Demand’ platform. This expanded version bridges the historical gap by interweaving previously unpublished archive material with contemporary sequences, thereby bringing to life Struth’s tireless quest for visual truth in a rapidly changing world.

 

Review overview: The response from art critics

 

In art columns and specialist photography journals, Ralph Goertz’s Director’s Cut met with a consistently positive response. Critics particularly praised the film’s formal rigour, which they felt corresponded perfectly with Struth’s own photographic approach. The film deliberately eschews sensational effects and instead affords the necessary space for the focused process of seeing and thinking. Critics emphasised that Goertz succeeds in transforming Struth’s seemingly unassuming body of work into a captivating chronicle. In particular, the juxtaposition of early street photographs from New York or Düsseldorf with his current, highly complex research and industrial images was hailed as a cinematic masterpiece and was screened at numerous international film festivals.

 

Details about the film and the body of work:

 

Titel: Thomas Struth - New German Photography

Direction & Production: Ralph Goertz / IKS – Institute for Art Documentation

Main groups of works featured in the film: Architecture of the Streets, Portraits, Museum Images, recent works

Film version 1 (DVD): Documentary, 33 minutes (released as part of the IKS Edition, 2014)

Film version 2 (digital): Director’s Cut, 40 minutes (released via Vimeo on Demand, early 2021)

Special feature: Inclusion of exclusive, previously unpublished archive material and current phases of his creative work

 

Watch it on Vimeo!

Photos: Ralph Goertz © IKS-Medienarchiv