Jeff Wall

The Fondation Beyeler is devoting a major solo exhibition to the internationally renowned Canadian artist Jeff Wall (*1946). Developed in close collaboration with the artist, this is the first exhibition of this scale in Switzerland for almost two decades. Wall, who since the late 1970s has made a major contribution to establishing photography as an autonomous medium, is regarded as the founder of “staged photography”. He generally produces large-format photographs, intricately and subtly composed from many separate shots; often inspired by scenes from everyday life or art history, his works are reminiscent of film images. The exhibition brings together the famous large slides mounted in light boxes, black and white photographs and colour prints. Throughout the eleven exhibition rooms, more recent works weave a rich thematic and formal dialogue with emblematic works from the artist’s early years. As part of the Fondation Beyeler exhibition, several new works are being shown in public for the very first time.

The retrospective brings together 55 works from private collections and international museums, as well as from the artist’s own holdings, and offers a fresh perspective on this major oeuvre.