In the 1970s, Jeff Wall was among the first to bring large-scale transparencies mounted in lightboxes, previously a format chiefly associated with advertising, into the gallery space – one example among many of the Canadian’s career-long effort to expand the possibilities of photography. This show at the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen/Basel (28 January–21 April) presents an overview of his career since the 1960s, including black-and-white photographs and colour photographic prints but with a particular focus on his work of the last two decades. Many of the photographs are on public view for the first time. Together, the works reveal the ways in which Wall – through meticulous staging, often in close collaboration with his subjects, as well as through manipulation of his images after they have been shot – challenged the notion of photography as a documentary medium. Find out more from the Beyeler’s website.
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A Sudden Gust of Wind (after Hokusai) (1993), Jeff Wall. Glenstone Museum, Potomac. © Jeff Wall
Parent Child (2018), Jeff Wall. Courtesy White Cube; © Jeff Wall
Overpass (2001), Jeff Wall. Emanuel Hoffmann Foundation, on permanent loan to the Öffentliche Kunstsammlung Basel. © Jeff Wall
Milk (1984), Jeff Wall. Collection FRAC Champagne-Ardenne, Reims. © Jeff Wall