Horst Hamann : New York Vertical

Born in 1958 in Mannheim, Germany, Horst Hamann first visited New York in 1979. It turned out to be a formative experience for him, and the city became his favorite photographic subject. Revered for his innovative vision he has become the photographer of choice for a number of prestigious clients including American Express, Kodak, and Sony.

Hamann has spent last 20 years being a citizen of the world, dividing his time between his native country, Paris and New York. His photographic journeys have taken him to more than seventy countries, which are well documented in international publications and exhibitions. Hamann's best selling photobooks have also contributed to his reputation as a multi-faceted photographer. Stark black and white compositions have become a signature of Hamann's work, and has gone on to develop his own visual language with his panoramic verticals.

Over the last two decades, Hamann has spent much of his time working on personal projects such as "New York Vertical" and "Paris Vertical". "New York Vertical" has become a modern classic which captures a unique yet quintessential vision of the American metropolis. With this project he received some of the prestigious awards including The Kodak Photobook Award in 1996 and The Photo Design Gold Award in 1998. The Museum of the City of New York honored Hamann's unconventional body of work of New York with an extended (6 months) one-man-exhibition in 1999.