Thomas Struth (B. 1954)
Lot 257 "I was struck with the sense of the space program as an instrument of power. When, as a state, you demonstrate that you are able to do that, it contributes to cultural dominance."

--Thomas Struth

Thomas Struth (B. 1954)

Control Panel, Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, 2008

Closed6 April 2017

Price Realised

USD 150,000

More Information

How to sell

Thomas Struth (B. 1954)
Control Panel, Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, 2008
chromogenic print
signed in ink and credited, titled and numbered '6/10' on affixed label (frame backing board)
image: 41 1/2 x 84 1/2 in. (105.4 x 214.6 cm.)
sheet: 43 1/4 x 86 in. (109.9 x 218.4 cm.)
This work is number 6 from the edition of 10.

Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin;
acquired from the above by the present owner, 2012.

Specialist note

In this image of the Kennedy Space Center control room, Thomas Struth applies his Dusseldorf School of Photography sensibilities—immersive size, objective content and centralized viewpoint—to the quintessential American subject of the United States space program. The wide panoramic view allows Struth to infuse the image with a visual sense of awe, something he felt upon his visit to the Kennedy Space Center in 2007. Describing his inspiration for the work, Struth recalls being 'struck by the immensity of the program over the past fifty years and the collusion of science, politics, and power in the American space project.'

In this image, which has never before come up for auction, Thomas Struth presents the room that serves as the core for the Kennedy Space Center. Through cropping and scale manipulation, Struth depicts the controls as seemingly endless. Playing on the relationship between Man and Machine, Struth highlights the magnitude and complexity of the operations required to achieve some of mankind’s greatest accomplishments.