Expressionism powerfully heralded the onset of the twenties. Today, the buildings that remain demonstrate great creativity with form and skillful use of light, color, and material, highlighting verticality and drama—the essence of the modern metropolis. With Fragments of Metropolis: Berlin, researcher Christoph Rauhut and photographer Niels Lehmann set out to document all the remaining expressionist buildings in Berlin. With Fragments of Metropolis—Rhein | Ruhr, Rauhut and Lehmann present the results of the next phase of this major undertaking, showing that the Rhine-Ruhr region had a similarly rich expressionist heritage.
Lehmann’s new photographs are here set alongside drawings, an illustrated index of buildings, and maps that help the reader group the buildings by area, including Bochum, Bottrop, Dortmund, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Hagen, Cologne, Münster, Oberhausen, and more. Simultaneously a celebration of a lost period and a reminder of the riches it has left to us, Fragments of Metropolis—Rhein | Ruhr is a stunning achievement of historical and artistic preservation.