Andreas Gursky (*1955 inLeipzig ) has ranked for many years among the world’s leading photographic artists. Now, for the first time ever, an attempt is being made to unfurl the artist’s oeuvre in all its encyclopedic glory. Gursky has selected over 150 images from his pool of photographs, reaching back in time to his student days at the Folkwang Hochschule Essen, followed by the period in which he was in the class taught by Bernd and Hilla Becher at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. Beginning with the earliest exposures, such as the Desk Attendants and other unpublished photographs, the publication describes an enormous trajectory that takes us to his most recent works, which were conceived especially for this monograph. Every single exposure in Gursky’s encyclopedic morphology is a vital piece in the puzzle, which over some twenty-eight years has opened out into a sweeping view of the world.  Exhibition schedule: Kunstmuseum Krefeld, Museen Haus Lange und Haus Esters, October 12, 2008–January 25, 2009 · Moderna Museet, Stockholm, February 21–May 3, 2009 · Vancouver Art Gallery, May 30–September 20, 2009