Skip to Content
Today Open today 10–11 members | 11–8 public

Shanghai

A work made of chromogenic print.

Image actions

  • A work made of chromogenic print.

Date:

2000

Artist:

Andreas Gursky
German, born 1955

About this artwork

First known for his sublime, minimalist landscapes, Andreas Gursky turned his eye in the 1990s to crowded, chaotic images of contemporary life and seemingly detached, composed views of our increasingly technological and commercial world. One of a number of photographs the artist has made of hotel lobbies around the world, Shanghai envelops the viewer with its overwhelming vertical scale and vivid color. Gursky made the image by photographing the same subject from three different floors, digitally manipulating the images to bring the background to the same resolution as the foreground, and fusing the pictures into one. The result is an otherworldly, towering space in which the floor almost falls out from beneath the viewer. Despite vaguely anecdotal details scattered throughout the photograph, it tells us nothing of the city, the lobby, or the people in the space, but instead represents a moment of luxurious beauty.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Contemporary Art

Artist

Andreas Gursky

Title

Shanghai

Place

Germany (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

2000

Medium

Chromogenic print

Edition

2 of 6

Dimensions

301 × 206 cm (118 1/2 × 81 in.)

Credit Line

Partial and promised gift of Pamela J. and Michael N. Alper

Reference Number

2001.155

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Learn more

Image actions

Share