PEOPLE OF THE 20TH CENTURY by August Sander
Two Rivers, 2022
9.4 × 11.7 in
808 pages
Tritone printing
Hardcover
A landmark in the history of modern art, People of the 20th Century presents the fullest expression of the German photographer August Sander’s lifelong work: a monumental endeavor to amass an archive of 20th century humanity through a cross section of German culture.
Sander (1876–1964) photographed subjects from all walks of life—capturing bankers and boxers, soldiers and circus performers, farmers and families—to create a catalog of the German people, arranged by their profession, gender, and social status. First imagined in the 1920s, he pursued the project for more than 50 years during a politically charged and rapidly changing time, fraught by two world wars and the devastating repercussions of Nazism. Sander never finished the seven-volume, 49-portfolio magnum opus, continually refining and shaping it to convey an understanding of the world in which he lived. The photographs, remarkable for their unflinching realism and deft analysis of character, provide a powerful social mirror of Germany between the wars and form one of the most influential achievements of the 20th century.
“Nothing seemed to me more appropriate than to project an image of our time with absolute fidelity to nature by means of photography… Let me speak the truth in all honesty about our age and the people of our age.”
—August Sander