Bernd and Hilla Becher

Bernd Becher was born in Siegen, Germany, in 1931. He died in Rostock, Germany, in 2007. Hilla Becher was born in Potsdam, Germany, in 1934. She died in Düsseldorf in 2015.

Art

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Black-and-white photograph of two brick towers with thick cylindrical bases, conical mid-sections, and thin cylindrical tops. — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Lime Kilns, Dieversburg, Holland, 1968
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Black-and-white photograph of a brick building behind a massive set of intersecting vertical and diagonal metal trusses and four metal pipes suspended from the building in mid-air. — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Partial View of Winding Tower, Coal Mine "Amalie," Bochum-Werne, Germany, 1968
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Black-and-white photograph of brick factory building featuring an open-air diagonal metal support structure and an aboveground upper-story brick passageway. — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Partial view of Winding Tower, Coal Mine "Friedrich Heinrich," Kamp-Lintfort, Germany, 1982
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Black-and-white photograph of metallic vertical, diagonal, and horizontal trusses and arches across a space. — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Mines of Giraumont, Lorraine, France, 1985
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Placeholder — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Air Filter for Steel Plant, Neuves-Maisons, France, 1986
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Placeholder — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Gas Cooler in Cokery Plant, Coal Mine "Emscher-Lippe," Ruhr District, Germany, 1987
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Placeholder — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Gas Cooler in Cokery Plant, Coal Mine "Heinrich-Robert," Hamm, Ruhr District, Germany, 1987
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Black-and-white photograph of a glass and brick factory building behind a large metallic scaffolding. — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Partial View of Winding Tower, Coal Mine "Minister Stein," Dortmund, Germany, 1987
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Black-and-white photograph of a large vertical tower encased in an open-air metal support structure, outside a rectilinear brick building. — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Partial View of Winding Tower, Coal Mine "Minister Stein," Dortmund, Germany, 1987
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Black-and-white photograph of a corner of a brick building's exterior featuring a lattice of vertical, horizontal, and diagonal metal beams affixed to the brick. — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Partial View of Preparation Plant, coal Mine, Waterschei, Belgium, 1988
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Black-and-white photograph of a vertical and diagonal metal support structure in front of a brick building. — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Partial View of Winding Tower, Coal Mine, Winterslag, Belgium, 1988
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Black-and-white photograph of three vertical cooling towers with a vertical stack of half-cylindrical forms attached to the front and intersecting tubes connecting each tower. — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Gas Cooler in Cokery Plant, Coal Mine "Scholven," Gelsenkirchen, Ruhr District, Germany, 1991
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Black-and-white photograph of a tiered metal structure with railings, platforms, and diagonal support beams. — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Partial View of Blast Furnace, Unterwellenborn, Thüringen, Germany, 1991
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Black-and-white photograph, taken at an angle, of the underside of a staircase and other diagonal building supports. — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Partial View of Winding Tower, Coal mine "Minister Stein," Dortmund, Germany, 1991
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Black-and-white photograph of a multilevel factory interior with platforms, staircases, railings, and a metal support structure surrounding a blast furnace. — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Partial View of Blast Furnace, Unterwellenborn, Thüringen, Germany, 1991
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Black-and-white photograph of outdoor tiered metal structure with multilevel railings and walkways and large cylindrical pipes connecting to other structures. — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Partial View of Blast Furnace, Duisburg-Bruckhausen, Germany, 1991
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Black-and-white photograph of coiled and intersecting tubes of various sizes. — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Detail of Petrochemical Plant, Wesseling near Colgne, Germany, 1992
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Placeholder — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Gas Cooler in Cokery Plant, Coal Mine "Anna," Alsdorf/Aachen, Germany, 1992
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Black-and-white photograph of two interconnected towers atop a smaller building and below an open-air tiered structure within a larger industrial setting. — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Lime Kilns, near Diez/Lahn, Germany, 1992
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Black-and-white photograph of a factory setting with numerous sets of pipes, support beams, and staircases. — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Partial View of Blast Furnace, Rombas, Lorraine, France, 1992
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Black-and-white photograph of a tiered metal structure with tubes, railings, and a staircase surrounding a blast furnace. — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Partial View of Blast Furnace, Uckange, Lorraine, France, 1992
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Close-up black-and-white photograph of a gas tank, showing geometric external ladders, staircases, and metal beams. — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Partial View of Gas Tank, Coal Mine "Anna," Alsdorf/Aachen, Germany, 1992
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Black-and-white photograph of pipes, shafts, ladders, grills, lattices, and other factory parts, emphasizing diagonal, vertical, and horizontal intersections of items. — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Partial View of Lime Plant, Dugny/Verdun, France, 1992
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Placeholder — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Partial View of Lime Plant, Dugny/Verdun, France, 1992
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Black-and-white photograph of two building structures on stilts above a pool of liquid flanking an open central passageway filled with sets of diagonal crossbeams extending into the background. — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Partial View of Water Cooler, Coal Mine "Anna," Alsdorf/Aachen, Germany, 1992
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Placeholder — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Lime Kilns, Jemelle, Belgium, 1996
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Placeholder — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Lime Kilns, Jemelle, Belgium, 1996
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Placeholder — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Lime Kilns, Marche-les-Dames, Belgium, 1996
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Becher-BHB-557 — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Plant for Styrofoam Production, Wesseling near Cologne, Germany, 1997
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Black-and-white photograph of a windowless building below eight cylindrical towers, topped with scaffolding and tall ventilation tubes within a larger industrial complex. — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Lime Kilns, Rübeland, Harz Mountains, Germany, 1997
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Placeholder — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Lime Kilns, Kaltestal, Harz Mountains, Germany, 1997
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Placeholder — Bernd and Hilla Becher

Lime Kilns, Kaltestal, Harz Mountains, Germany, 1997
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Exhibitions and Projects

Black-and-white photograph of factory with curving cylindrical tubes, tanks, and other protuberances — Exhibition

Bernd and Hilla Becher

January 18, 2013–August 22, 2016, Dia Beacon
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Black-and-white photograph of factory with curving cylindrical tubes, tanks, and other protuberances — Exhibition

Bernd and Hilla Becher

May 3, 2003–November 14, 2011, Dia Beacon
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Black-and-white photograph of a rooftop water tower above a small brick penthouse surrounded by metal supports — Exhibition

Bernd and Hilla Becher: installation of photographs

December 14, 1989 -June 21, 1991, Dia Chelsea
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Books

BEC_for web — Photo: Ethan Harrison

Bernd & Hilla Becher: Pennsylvania Coal Mine Tipples

This book is devoted to the wooden mineheads of the eastern regions of Pennsylvania, which were photographed by Bernd and Hilla Becher in 1974–1975 and 1977–78.

Watch & Listen

Ebner-Shannon — Shannon Ebner on Bernd and Hilla Becher
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Fiona Tan on Bernd and Hilla Becher

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Shannon Ebner on Bernd and Hilla Becher

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