1931-2007; 1934-2015

Bernd and Hilla Becher enrolled in the Dusseldorf Academy of Art during the German Socialist state that created the Berlin Wall.  They developed an industrial archaeological record through their photography of “Lime Kilns,” “Cooling Towers,” “Blast Furnaces,” “Winding Towers,” “Water Towers,” “Gas Tanks” and “Silos,” chapter titles from their first book, Anonymous Sculptures.  Both their subject matter and photography were engineered, not designed, and refused sentimentality, ideology and ornamentation.  The couple married in 1961.  Bernd and Hilla became renowned and influential teachers of photography.  Some of their students have become preeminent photographers.