The Best of Frank Kunert

The book cover for The Best of Frank Kunert, featuring a surreal photograph of a tall, narrow, concrete hotel elevated on a single pillar. The brutalist-style building has three doors stacked vertically and the word HOTEL spelled down its side. The scene is set on a roadside next to sand dunes under a blue sky with clouds.

A square hardcover book titled The Best of Frank Kunert, shown at an angle on a white surface. The cover features a surreal photograph of a tall, brutalist concrete structure shaped like a waffle iron on a pillar, with the word HOTEL spelled out vertically. The structure stands by a road in a sandy landscape under a blue sky.

An open photography book on a white surface. The right page features a surreal photograph of a closed kiosk labeled TRINKHALLE. The entire scene is saturated in a deep blue color, with dappled light patterns on a tiled wall and a reflective, wet-looking floor, giving the impression of an underwater setting. The left page is mostly blank with a small caption.

The back cover of a pale blue hardcover book, shown at an angle on a white background. The cover features two columns of text, one in German and one in English, describing the work of photographer Frank Kunert under the titles Die Widersinnigkeit des Alltags and The Absurdity of Everyday Life. An ISBN, barcode, and the publisher's name, Hatje Cantz, are visible at the bottom.

An open art book displaying two photographs of detailed miniature scenes. The left-hand page shows a snowy exterior at night, with a view through an arched window into a warm, lit dining room. The right-hand page shows a dimly lit, wood-paneled library with a red armchair sitting in a pool of light.

An open book on a white surface displays a surreal two-page photograph. The image shows a person sitting on a white toilet placed on the gray, cratered surface of the moon. In the blackness of space behind them, the blue and white planet Earth is visible in the distance.

A stark, sunlit photograph of a small concrete balcony with a black railing, jutting out from a brown brick building. A green door leading onto the balcony is slightly ajar. Directly beneath the balcony, a set of train tracks runs along the ground, with strong shadows cast across the scene.

A photograph of a surreal architectural model in a snowy landscape, presented on the right-hand page of a book. A low, dark building is topped by a large, glass-walled concrete room containing a giant toilet with a diving board aimed at the bowl. A snow-dusted tree and a bench are in the foreground.

A surreal sculpture of a miniature grey dumpster on a wooden floor. The front of the dumpster is a piano keyboard, with a tiny red piano bench placed in front of it. The dumpster is open and overflowing with trash.

A surreal photograph of a concrete platform resembling a pier or bus stop, supported by a single column and floating high above a sea of white clouds. On the platform, under a clear blue sky, are an empty bench, a lone brown suitcase, a noticeboard, and a lamppost, creating a dreamlike scene of waiting.

A two-page book spread. The right page shows an architectural photograph of a grey concrete building connected to a large, red half-pipe. The curved surface of the half-pipe is marked with the white lines of a tennis court, and a tall umpire's chair sits at its base. The left page is mostly white with small text at the bottom.

A surreal image of a miniature English street scene, with the top half submerged underwater. At street level, a stone building has sandbags piled by its door, and a red triangular sign warns of a flood. In the background, a pub called The Swan is visible below the waterline.

An open book spread with a photograph on the right-hand page showing a detailed model of a quaint, brown church in a snowy landscape. The church has a tall steeple with a cross, a clock on its tower, and its roof is covered in a layer of snow under a flat, white sky.

A two-page spread from a book or magazine. The left side features a behind-the-scenes photograph of a miniature model being filmed. The model is an empty parking lot with a tall, concrete sign that reads HOTEL vertically. It is set up in a studio in front of a large blue sky backdrop, with lighting stands and clamps visible. The right side of the spread contains a block of text in German.

A two-page book spread. The right page features a photograph of a living room with green walls and mid-century furniture. A wooden loft overlooks the room, and on it, a toilet is visible inside a blue-tiled doorway. A large, white, flexible pipe runs from under the loft down to a vintage television set on the floor below. The facing left page is white and has the text Live-Übertragung | Live Broadcast.

A two-page spread from a book, open to pages 8 and 9. The left page is titled I'm Off to Dream by Ariadne von Schirach, with a column of black text below it. The right page contains a second column of text. The layout is minimalist with black text on a plain white background.

An art photograph of a formal dining room with wood-paneled walls and a black-and-white checkerboard floor. A long table is set for two with a white tablecloth and a single candlestick. In place of people, two vintage television sets sit on small stools, facing each other from opposite sides of the room as if they are the diners.

The corner of a dimly lit room with dark wood-paneled walls. On the left, a built-in bookcase is filled with rows of books. On the right, a small, ornate wall sconce with a bell-shaped shade is lit, casting a warm yellow glow on the wall.

An architectural model of a small, weathered house perched on tall, thick concrete pillars against a white background. A concrete walkway with a rusty railing, also elevated on pillars, leads to the isolated house from the left.

The Best of Frank Kunert

€ 24.00

VAT included. Shipping costs will be calculated at checkout

June 2025, 112 Pages, 55 colored photos

hardcover

234mm x 234mm

ISBN: 978-3-7757-5927-4

HATJE CANTZ VERLAG
Mommsenstr. 27
10629 Berlin
Germany
E-Mail: contact@hatjecantz.de

According to Article 9(7) of the GPSR Regulation, no additional security information is required for books without supplements or special functions.

Press download

The absurdity of everyday life

Frank Kunert is one of the most distinguished German photographers. In lengthy processes, he builds precise miniature worlds, which he presents to us as deceptively real everyday worlds. Rooms, houses, bridges, towers: his architectural situations are both reflections of inner emotional and social states. In their apparent banality, the surreal scenes are an expression of a present that is as familiar as it is uncanny.

This "Best of" presents a selection of works from three of his books already published by Hatje Cantz Verlag. It not only pays tribute to an extraordinary artist, but also to many years of successful collaboration.

Frank Kunert (*1963 in Frankfurt/M.) began taking photographs as a teenager. Initially mainly interested in landscapes, he has devoted himself to studio work since his photographic training. His work has received many awards, including the German Photo Book Prize in Silver. Frank Kunert lives in Boppard, Germany.

»Tapping into the absurdities of everyday life, Kunert plays with architecture, quotidian objects, customs, and our associations with home or public spaces.«

Kate Mothes

Colossal