[Assemblage of Pipes]

1964 or later
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This exceptional assemblage includes three razor-cut photographs of blast-furnace pipes braided together into a handsome knot. Part Giorgio de Chirico (one of the artist’s favorite painters), part pretzel, the metaphysical work shows Bernd Becher’s playful sense of humor and appreciation for the complexity and visual wonderment of industrial forms.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: [Assemblage of Pipes]
  • Artist: Bernd Becher (German, 1931–2007)
  • Date: 1964 or later
  • Medium: Gelatin silver prints with graphite
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 14 3/8 × 13 1/16 in. (36.5 × 33.2 cm)
    Frame: 26 1/4 × 22 1/2 in. (66.7 × 57.2 cm)
  • Classification: Photographs
  • Credit Line: Estate Bernd & Hilla Becher, represented by Max Becher, courtesy Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur—Bernd & Hilla Becher Archive, Cologne.
  • Rights and Reproduction: © Estate Bernd & Hilla Becher, represented by Max Becher, courtesy Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur—Bernd & Hilla Becher Archive, Cologne.
  • Curatorial Department: Photographs