Steve Geer: The Metropolitan Tower Collection | MONOVISIONS

MonoVisions Black & White Photo Contest 2025

A series of fifty-two 22” x 14” black and white Chicago-based photographs by photographer Steve Geer have been acquired for permanent display in The Metropolitan Tower, an iconic residential building in the heart of the city.

Steve describes the series as follows:
Chicago is one of the most photographed cities in North America, and the challenge was to select a set of photographs that were recognizably Chicago and yet, for an audience living in the city and immersed in the plethora of local imagery, distinctive enough to be appreciated. The Metropolitan Tower organization hired a curator, Samantha Reynolds, to help with the selection of images.

Over the years my Chicago photography has been inspired by the work of Algimantas Kezys, who captured the city in the 1980’s with a refreshingly new perspective, and the work of Andreas Feininger whose images from the 1940’s show a city of steam and smoke, a city with the character of its time. The Chicago of those past times is long gone but the spirit of the city, a place of constant evolution, lives on. My hope was to produce a collection of photographs that captured the nature of today’s Chicago.

In Samantha Reynold’s words:
“Geer’s subjects are the architectural details that make up the backbone of all great cities – their buildings, bridges, parks, and natural resources. Although typically void of the city’s inhabitants, Geer’s photographs tell a story of a city constantly moving forward through time – ice breaking, fog lifting, skyscrapers rising, bridges lowering. Throughout the series, viewers will see both the familiar like the Chicago River, the Marina Towers, and the Wrigley building, as well as the unfamiliar through Geer’s choice of perspective.”

Website: www.stevegeer.com

© Steve Geer: The Metropolitan Tower Collection

Clark Street Bridge over the Chicago River in a snow storm, downtown Chicago

The Aon Center and Buckingham Fountain, downtown Chicago.

Lake Michigan Shoreline in winter, Chicago

Ice floating on the Chicago River, downtown Chicago in winter.

Aon Center and its reflection in the Blue Cross Blue Shield Building (300 East Randolph Street).

Aerial view of the BP Pedestrian Bridge connecting Millennium Park with Maggie Daley Park in The Loop, downtown Chicago. Autumn view with distant pedestrians.

Wabash Ave. Bridge

Spire on top of Two Prudential Plaza
(also known as Two Pru) in The Loop, downtown Chicago. Areial view of skyscrapers in the Chicago Loop in the background. No people.

Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, Chicago. Willis Tower, CNA Center, and Metropolitan Tower viewed through the spray.

The Old Republic Building (completed 1925) on Michigan Avenue in The Loop, downtown Chicago. The Skyline Club on top floor and roof. Aerial view with many distant people.

Chicago Railroad

Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, The Loop, downtown Chicago. Silhouette on a sunny day with Michigan Avenue and Chicago skyline in the background. No people.