Thomas Ruff
photographer
Thomas Ruff is a prominent German photographer and artist born in Zell am Harmersbach in 1958. He lives and works in Düsseldorf, where he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts under Bernd Becher from 1977 to 1985. A key figure of the Düsseldorf School, Ruff's work explores the nature of photographic truth through various series including 'Portraits', 'Houses', and 'Stars'. His practice encompasses analogue photography, digital manipulation, and conceptual expansions of the medium. He served as a professor for Art/Photography at the Academy of Fine Arts in Düsseldorf from 2000 to 2006. His work is characterized by its systematic interrogation of representation and the mechanisms of image production.[1,2]
Themes
- photographic truth
- digital compression
- portraits
- architecture
Books
-
Nudesphotographer
Works by Thomas Ruff
- jpegs 2009 · Aperture · book · English ISBN 9781597110938 Includes an essay by Bennett Simpson.
Exhibitions
- 1989 Portraits, Houses, Stars Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Amsterdam solo
- 2008 Thomas Ruff: jpegs Gallery David Zwirner, New York solo
Awards
- 2006 Infinity Award International Center of Photography


