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Five Views of a Lime Silo in Duisburg-Ruhrort

Artist Bernd Becher (German, 1931 - 2007)

Artist Hilla Becher (German, 1934 - 2015)

Art Collective Bernd and Hilla Becher (German, established 1959)

Date1972

MediumLeporello with five offset prints

DimensionsOverall, Image (each image): 15 3/4 × 11 13/16 in. (40 × 30 cm)
Overall, Support (each page): 20 1/16 × 13 3/4 in. (51 × 35 cm)

ClassificationsPhotography

Credit LineMuseum purchase, in memory of Alice R. and Sol B. Frank

Object number2019.10

On View

Not on view

DescriptionBlack and white photographs of an industrial lime silo in 5 states of ruin and disrepair. The photographs’ simplicity suggests the clarity of an engineering diagram while the photographic richness and typological arrangement suggests the specificity of each particular place. The works also suggest a fleeting nature of industrial architecture while pointing out their enduring environmental impact.
Label TextBernd and Hilla Becher, German (active 1959–2007) Bernd Becher, German, 1931–2007 Hilla Becher, German, 1934–2015 Five Views of a Lime Silo in Duisburg Ruhrort, 1972 Leporello with five offset prints The German artists Bernd and Hilla Becher are best known for photographic series that depict water towers, furnaces, silos, and other industrial relics. As Hilla Becher said, “By placing several…side by side something happened, something like tonal music; you don’t see what makes the objects different until you bring them together, so subtle are their differences.” The works also suggest the fleeting nature of industry while pointing out its enduring environmental impact. As Bernd Becher said, “I became aware that these buildings were a kind of nomadic architecture which had a comparatively short life—maybe 100 years, often less, then they disappear. It seemed important to keep them in some way.” Museum purchase 2019.10