Andreas Gursky (* 1955 inLeipzig) has ranked for many years among the world’s leading photographic artists. Now, for the first time ever, an attempt is being made to unfurl the artist’s oeuvre in all its encyclopedic glory. Gursky has chosen over 150 works from his fund of photographs, reaching back in time to his student days at the Folkwang Hochschule Essen, followed by the period in which he studied in the class run by Bernd and Hilla Becher at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. Beginning with the earliest exposures, such as the Desk Attendants and other unpublished photographs, the publication describes an enormous trajectory that takes us to his most recent works, which were conceived specially for the monograph. Every single exposure in Gursky’s encyclopedic morphology is a vital piece in the puzzle, which over some 28 years has resulted in a sweeping view of the global world.

Exhibition schedule: Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Haus Lange und Haus Esters, October 12, 2008–January 25, 2009 · Moderna Museet, Stockholm, February 21–May 3, 2009, Vancouver Art Gallery May 30–September 20, 2009