Thomas Ruff

Thomas Ruff‘s photographic series are compelling. In larger-than-life-sized portraits we encounter the in­tent gazes of young adults. Sterile building façades serve as a commentary on the misery of urban sprawl. Pixelated nudes from pornographic websites render important details almost indecipherable while un­derscoring the power of these images. In exhibitions the photographer shows large-scale prints, which are produced in a very limited number. However, he con­sistently produces small-format photographic prints using a range of reproductive techniques, which usu­ally have editions of thirty and more to make them affordable to a broader art audience. This catalogue raisonné of editions was prepared by Jörg Schellmann in close cooperation with Thomas Ruff (*1958) and is based on the most up-to-date research. The works are organized chronologically, not according to the year the image was created but its year of production. The volume presents all signed and numbered editions by the artist from 1988 onwards.