Skip to main content

Phillip Buehler

American

The photographer Phillip Buehler has devoted his career to exploring obsolete sites, what he calls “modern ruins.” Captured in states of evocative decay, his subjects have included an abandoned psychiatric asylum, a Cold War missile silo and an offline power plant.

In late 2019, Buehler's body of work on view in the exhibition “Mallrat to Snapchat: The End of the Third Place” — at Front Room Gallery, in New York — may have elicited more nostalgia than the others. It was a look at New Jersey’s defunct Wayne Hills Mall and, by extension, at the dying culture of middle-class suburban shopping centers across the country.

"I started photographing abandoned places the same year the mall opened, 1973, when I was a senior in high school," Buehler told The Study. "At the time, New York was falling apart, with empty piers and abandoned or burned-out buildings everywhere. Back then, nobody was photographing them, so I had no art references — most were cinematic. Two films released in 1968 made a big impression on me: 2001: A Space Odyssey and Planet of the Apes."

Browse a collection of Phillip Buehler's photography on 1stDibs.

"Dream City" historic photograph Manhattan's Twin Towers World Trade Center 1974

"Dream City" historic photograph Manhattan's Twin Towers World Trade Center 1974

By Phillip Buehler

Located in New York, NY

40"x60" limited edition historic photograph, edition 1/5. This historic photograph depicts the recently completed World Trade Center shot from tip of Ellis Island in 1974. The mist w...

Category

1970s Contemporary Phillip Buehler

Materials

Photographic Paper

Thunderbolt Sign, Coney Island
Thunderbolt Sign, Coney Island

Thunderbolt Sign, Coney Island

By Phillip Buehler

Located in New York, NY

edition of 5, signed on reverse. This photograph was taken in 2000 of the the Thunderbolt rollercoaster in Coney Island prior to its demolition. The Thunderbolt was a wooden roller...

Category

2010s Contemporary Phillip Buehler

Materials

Pigment

"Thunderbolt" a limited edition photograph from Coney Island, 1997

"Thunderbolt" a limited edition photograph from Coney Island, 1997

By Phillip Buehler

Located in New York, NY

18"x24" limited edition historic photograph, edition 1/5. This photograph depicts The Thunderbolt roller coaster, which was built in 1925, abandoned in 1982, and demolished 2000. It ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Phillip Buehler

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Registry - Ellis Island 1974" Contemporary Photograph, from Islands of New York

"Registry - Ellis Island 1974" Contemporary Photograph, from Islands of New York

By Phillip Buehler

Located in New York, NY

30"x40" limited edition photograph, edition 1/5. This photograph depicts the interior of the then abandoned Ellis Island registry taken in 1974", featured in "Islands of New York" photographic series. Phillip Buehler is a New York based photographer who documents the deterioration and remnants of neglected architecture constructed in the recent past. In the series “No Man is an Island...” Buehler has photographed the historic, and also often forgotten islands, around New York City. Some of them, like Ellis Island, loom large in their impact on history, culture and existence in the national identity. Others, like “Rat Island,” a privately-owned 2.5 acre islet north of The Bronx, with an unusual statue...

Category

2010s Contemporary Phillip Buehler

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Ferry - Ellis Island 1974" Contemporary Photograph, from Islands of New York

"Ferry - Ellis Island 1974" Contemporary Photograph, from Islands of New York

By Phillip Buehler

Located in New York, NY

18"x24" limited edition historic photograph, edition 1/5. This photograph depicts a partially sunken Staten Island at the then abandoned dock along Ellis Island. Taken in 1974", this photograph is featured in "Islands of New York" photographic series. Phillip Buehler is a New York based photographer who documents the deterioration and remnants of neglected architecture constructed in the recent past. In the series “No Man is an Island...” Buehler has photographed the historic, and also often forgotten islands, around New York City. Some of them, like Ellis Island, loom large in their impact on history, culture and existence in the national identity. Others, like “Rat Island,” a privately-owned 2.5 acre islet north of The Bronx, with an unusual statue...

Category

2010s Contemporary Phillip Buehler

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Registry"historic photograph Ellis Island, 1974 abandoned site, large scale

"Registry"historic photograph Ellis Island, 1974 abandoned site, large scale

By Phillip Buehler

Located in New York, NY

40"x60" large scale limited edition historic color photograph, edition 1/5. This photograph depicts an abandoned immigration station (which closed in 1954) where 13 million immigrant...

Category

2010s Contemporary Phillip Buehler

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Steeplechase Park" historic limited edition photograph from Coney Island, 1981

"Steeplechase Park" historic limited edition photograph from Coney Island, 1981

By Phillip Buehler

Located in New York, NY

18"x24" limited edition historic photograph, edition 1/5. This photograph depicts an amusement park ride at the Coney Island park that opened in 1897 and then closed in 1964, reopene...

Category

1980s Contemporary Phillip Buehler

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Registry" a limited edition photograph from Ellis Island, 1974 abandoned site

"Registry" a limited edition photograph from Ellis Island, 1974 abandoned site

By Phillip Buehler

Located in New York, NY

18"x24" limited edition historic photograph, edition 1/5. This photograph depicts an abandoned immigration station (which closed in 1954) where 13 million immigrants were registered ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Phillip Buehler

Materials

Photographic Paper

Browse all Art from Phillip Buehler
Shop Now

Artists Similar to Phillip Buehler

Phillip Buehler art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Phillip Buehler art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of blue, purple and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Phillip Buehler in pigment print, archival pigment print, paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Phillip Buehler art, so small editions measuring 14 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Bill Armstrong, Luke Smalley, and Cheryl Medow. Phillip Buehler art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $800 and tops out at $6,500, while the average work can sell for $1,700.