German photographer Thomas Ruff studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf under Bernd and Hilla Becher. Influenced by the Bechers’ controlled aesthetic, Ruff’s photographic series’ of people and buildings follow strict compositional parameters based on democratic representation. Becoming more overtly political from the 1990s, Ruff also works with archival and web sourced images which he digitally alters and rescales. His photographic work is represented in major collections worldwide.