About the Author

BERNHARD “BERND” BECHER (1931–2007) and HILLA BECHER (1934–2015) were German conceptual artists and photographers working as a collaborative duo. They are best known for their extensive series of photographic images, or typologies, of industrial buildings and structures. As founders of what has come to be known as the “Becher” or “Düsseldorf” School of Photography, they influenced generations of documentary photographers and artists. THIERY DE DUVE is a Belgian art historian, curator, and professor of modern and contemporary art theory. He is the author of numerous books. He has taught at many institutions including the Sorbonne in Paris, MIT, and John Hopkins University.