About

Horst Hamann’s vertical vision of Gallery NY is based on a 40 year journey between his hometown of Mannheim and his adopted home New York all connected by a lifelong passion for photography and NYC. The global citizen has traveled around the world but spent much of his professional life in the big apple.

Now, many years later, the stars at his birthplace are aligned offering an opportunity to share his American dream and the NY experience. Gallery NY: The first photo gallery dedicated exclusively to contemporary photography from and about New York. A novelty – not only in Germany. An essential part of the gallery concept will be the custom built vertical CineMA. A lifelong dream comes true taking vertical still photography to another level: the moving vertical. Hamann produced his first vertical shortfilm ten years before the introduction of the I-phone. This vertical experiment started in 1991 with the 90 degree rotation of his Linhof panorama camera and later became a worldwide bestseller in 1996 when the book NY VERTICAL, was published by Edition Quadrat in Mannheim.

GALLERY NY has developed over the past five years revealing the essence of Hamann’s transatlantic learning process. The modern gallery space was designed by renowned Swiss architect Max Dudler. GNY is located on Turley barracks, a former army base with a long American-German history. Mannheim is a city of visionaries and great inventions (the automobile, the tractor the bicycle) which changed the world of mobility. The city between two rivers has a long and impressive photographic tradition. The first Pop academy in Germany is located here. The square street grid inspired the city planners of Manhattan – also situated between two rivers.

In a joint effort with the innovative urban developer MWSP and the award winning publisher Edition Panorama GNY will provide a forum for VERTICAL THINKERS on both sides of the Atlantic supporting fresh exhibition ideas without an infinite waiting list. Longtime friends collaborate in this ambitious project. Among others, Hamann will welcome for the opening in Mannheim the founders of the cult skateboard institution ZOO YORK. GNY will invite New Yorkers from around the world, to inject fresh urban blood into Mannheim’s cultural landscape. The gallery plans three extensive one-man-shows per year. All installations, gallery-talks and workshops will be curated based on autobiographical events. A NYC cab driver will discuss with a blind soccer player the art of seeing. GNY will nominate regularly TRUE NEW YORKER, no matter if you have ever been to New York City or not. It`s not a place but a state of mind ! A New York state of mind.

However – The Mannheimer in New York apparently holds the right DNA. He talks fast; he walks fast; and he acts fast. According to Ed Koch, former mayor of New York enough ingredients to qualify as a : True New Yorker. Welcome to the other city that never sleeps & enjoy MA-NY vertical visits…

NY Vertical Chronic

Mannheim 1990: Publisher Bernhard Wipfler and photographer Horst Hamann meet by chance at the Cafe Journal in Mannheim. At this time Hamann already lives in New York. Wipfler ( still Edition Quadrat ) proposes a new Mannheim book. Hamann refuses and shows him his first NY Vertical test prints. The rest is photo history. Five years later they release NY Vertical: The publisher changes his name to Edition Panorama and has been awarded the most prestigious awards. NY Vertical becomes worldwide bestseller.


  • 1984 Horst Hamann purchases used Linhof Technorama 6 x 17
  • 1991 Tilts Linhof 90 degrees: first Vertical taken: 41st St. & Ave. of the Americas
  • 1993 JJ Straub produced TV pilot Gallery NY | host is Marie Preaud
  • 1996 Edition Quadrat publishes first edition of New York Vertical
  • 1997 Hendrik te Neues takes over worldwide distribution
  • 1997 Edition Quadrat changes it’s name to Edition Panorama
  • 1997 Hamann produces 1. vertical film: 10 years before the introduction of the I-phone
  • 1997 New York Vertical ranks Nr. 1 on the NY Post – bestseller list
  • 1998 The New York Times calls Hamann a “genius of composition”
  • 1999 First german photographer to have a solo show at “The Museum of the City of NY”
  • 1999 Hamann receives the Honorary medal of the City of New York at NY City Hall
  • 2000 Vertical Installation at Grand Central Station seen by 12 million visitors
  • 2000 Zoo York produces exclusive skateboard series with 12 of Hamanns NY verticals
  • 2001 Hamann guest teacher at International Center of Photography in NY
  • 2003 U.S. Postal Service issues “Atlas” stamp from NY series. First run: 800 million
  • 2006 Norman Foster commissions Hamann to interpret the new Hearst Tower vertically
  • 2009 Hamann joins Dennis Hopper at the Maybach Stiftung on the WTC Advisory Board
  • 2014 Release of Absolute NY: 400 pages photo book on NY receives “German book award”
  • 2019 Smithsonian Museum includes Hamanns “911” deck in American cultural heritage
  • 2020 Olympic games: Zoo York dedicates an entire Streetwear Collection to Hamann
  • 2020 Start construction: Gallery NY at Turley Mannheim (architect Max Dudler)