Year: 2000
Medium: gelatin silver print
Dimensions: image size: 58.5 x 46.8 cm (23 x 18 3/8 in.) sheet size: 60.3 x 48.9 cm (23 3/4 x 19 1/4 in.)
Edition: No. 18 of 25
Acquired from SBI Art Auction, 2024
This building, named after theoretical physicist Albert Einstein, was built in Potsdam, Germany in 1924. In his general theory of relativity, Einstein predicted that light would undergo a shift to longer wavelengths in stronger gravitational fields, and the Einstein Tower was built as an experimental apparatus to test this prediction. The Einstein Tower is regarded as Erich Mendelssohn's first architectural work and a masterpiece of expressionist architecture. The structure’s silhouette deploys many curves that take advantage of the plasticity of concrete, which was still a new material at the time. The building stands out for its sophisticated design that surpasses the building’s original purpose. In this series, Sugimoto captures architectural masterpieces throughout the world, but each image is completely blurred since he sets the camera’s focal length far beyond infinity. This photography method, which Sugimoto refers to as “erosion-testing architecture,” is a litmus test based on the idea that a structure is worthy of its status as an architectural masterpiece if its unyielding presence emerges even through such a blurred photographic perspective.
