Compendium

• The amazing debut of a promising photographer

• In this book's spacious format Michael von Hassel's fascinating works reveal all of their intensity

If you try to explain Michael von Hassel’s photographic approach, it sounds paradoxical at first: by representing reality in an alienated way — for example, by lending it radically intense color — he sharpens our own view of what is real. This hyper-realism works in amazing ways. When the Munich-born photographer captures an empty Oktoberfest tent, a mountain view, or a street scene from a big city in his innovative way, we discover details that might normally escape us. In so doing, von Hassel grants his audience a new perspective on the world and garners permanent place in international exhibitions. Furthermore, von Hassel was honored as the best contemporary artist at the 2009 Hot Art Fair in Basel, Switzerland, and subsequently attracted an avid group of collectors. Apart from the photographer’s distinctive approach, his images also possess a particular quality that explains their popularity: they are simply irresistibly beautiful. Text in English and German.