The Fondazione Prada in Milan is hosting “Typologien,” a survey of 20th-century German photography curated by Suzanne Pfeffer of Frankfurt’s Museum für Moderne Kunst (MMK). The exhibition features works by Karl Blossfeldt, Lotte Jacobi, Hilla Becher, Thomas Struth, Andreas Gursky, Sybille Bergmann, and Candida Höfer, among others, all arranged in dead-on, grid-like typologies. It highlights the formal rules and ethical underpinnings of German photographic traditions, including the influential legacy of Bernd and Hilla Becher and their students from the Düsseldorf Art Academy.
This show matters because it refocuses attention on the aesthetic and ethical dimensions of photography at a time when criticism and exhibitions often prioritize content over form. By examining the motivations behind strict compositional rules—and the subtle rebellions against them—the exhibition offers a timely reminder of how objectivity and manipulation can coexist in photographic practice. It also underscores the enduring impact of the Bechers’ typological approach on contemporary photography, while showcasing how their students both honored and subverted that legacy.