Water Towers, 1980
© Bernd and Hilla Becher

It was reported that last Friday, German photographer Bernd Becher (1931-2007) died in a Rostock hospital while undergoing a complicated heart surgery. Becher was 75 years old.

Bernd Becher, working alongside his wife Hilla, was most known for his collection of industrial building images, examining the similarities and differences in structure and appearance. It was in 1959 when Bernd first collaborated with Hilla on a project aiming to document the disappearing German industrial architecture. In 2004, the Bechers received a Hasselblad Award, one of the highest international honors in photography. Their Typologies (images of barns, water towers, storage silos, and warehouses) have made a major impact on the history of photography and contemporary photographers.

As a professor at the Staatliche Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Bernd was also known as the influential teacher and mentor of most of the members of what has become known as the “German School” or even the “Becher School” of photography — Thomas Struth, Thomas Ruff, Andreas Gursky, Candida Höfer, and Elger Esser, among others.

I’m saddened by this news and not quite sure how to celebrate the life of a great photographer in any way other than taking some time to open up one of his books and spend a few moments with the photographs.

UPDATE: Interestingly, English press hadn’t covered this event until today. Just released, in fact, is the New York Times article on the event. They may want to consider hiring me to write for their Arts section, hm? I wish.

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