Wolfgang Tillmanns Truth Study Center

by Wolfgang Tillmans (Editor), Minoru Shimizu (Contributor)

The underbelly of the world and the pursuit of impossible truth In his third TASCHEN book, celebrated artist photographer and winner of the 2000 Turner Prize Wolfgang Tillmans takes his exploration of the visible world to a new level. The title truth study center is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the paradox of our desire to find a universal truth and the impossibility of doing so. From evocative nude studies and candid personal portraits of Tony Blair to astronomical views of planet Venus passing over the disc of the sun, for the first time the full width of Tillmans's world is brought together in one book. Also included is an extensive selection of striking new abstract works, which through their vivid colors and compositions evoke bodily as well as atmospheric sensations. From nightlife to still life, Tillmans shows us another side of the world we live in today.

Edited and designed by Tillmans himself

Genres: Art, Photography, Art and Photography

200 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2005

About the author

Wolfgang Tillmans is an influential contemporary German photographer whose work is in dialogue with artists such as Andreas Gursky and Gerhard Richter. Emerging in the 1990s with his snapshots of teenagers, clubs, and LGBTQ culture, Tillman’s practice has expanded to include diaristic photography, large-scale abstraction, and commissioned magazine work. “I want the pictures to be working in both directions,” the artist has said. “I accept that they speak about me, and yet at the same time, I want and expect them to function in terms of the viewer and their experience.” Capturing landscapes from an airplane window, still lifes of crustaceans, or straightforward portraits, his work conveys the profundity of an encyclopedic archive. Tillmans’ attention to even the most incidental moments can be seen in his Concorde Grid (1997), a group of 56 color photos depicting the airplane taking off along with the surrounding scenes captured during the moments in between.

Born on August 16, 1968 in Remscheid, West Germany, Tillmans spent the early part of his career in London after graduating from the Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design. In 2000, he was awarded the prestigious Turner Prize, marking the first time the prize had been awarded to a photographer or non-British artist. In 2006, Tillmans established Between Bridges, a non-profit exhibition space located in Berlin. His survey show “Wolfgang Tillmans: 2017” opened at the Tate Modern in London to critical acclaim, cementing his stature in the contemporary art world. The artist currently lives and works between Berlin, Germany and London, United Kingdom. Today, his works are held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, and the Kunstmuseum Basel, among others.