ROBERT ADAMS & JOSEF ALBERS | The Discovery of Form

Edited by Heinz Liesbrock and Thomas Zander

Published by Steidl

192 pages

The Discovery of Form brings together two pivotal figures of art after 1945 whose practices, though distinct in medium and context, are united by a shared commitment to form, light, and clarity. The publication explores the visual dialogue between Robert Adams’ contemplative black-and-white photographs of the American West and Albers’ rigorous color studies from his Homage to the Squareseries.

Robert Adams, known for his subtle yet searing critique of urban sprawl and environmental degradation, turns to light as both subject and symbol. In works such as his iconic series The New West, light dissolves the ordinary, hinting at a more enduring form beneath the surface of American life. Josef Albers, in turn, isolates color into meditative geometries, seeking calmness and equilibrium that Adams also evokes.

Featuring more than 70 photographs by Robert Adams and 12 paintings by Josef Albers, the book offers a new and insightful look at how their distinct pictorial notions converge in a common search for visual order and meaning. Essays by Heinz Liesbrock, John Szarkowski, and Irish Novelist Colm Tóibín further illuminate the philosophical and aesthetic affinities between the two artists.

The catalogue accompanies an exhibition at Zander Galerie, Cologne, curated by Heinz Liesbrock. 

For acquiring the catalogue you can follow the website link to the publisher Steidl.