In 16 years, I have discovered more than a hundred abandoned pianos in Europe for my artistic series "Requiem pour pianos." It is meant to represent scenes that I photograph in exactly the way I found them.
A year ago, I decided to go to the United States to discover new abandoned places and to find new pianos. I had been working on this project for more than 5 years: making contacts, searching on the internet, creating links with photographers, associations, and institutions...
On November 9th, 2022, the United States reopened its borders to Europeans, so I quickly decided to leave and realize this dream that I had planned for years.
What an unforgettable experience! On the spot, I crossed the state of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. Accompanied by an American friend, we visited more than 20 abandoned places. Victorian houses, hotels, old boarding schools, theatres...
I immortalized nine pianos in varying states of disrepair. Many Lester, Cunningham, Poole, and Steinway & Sons pianos. I also recorded the sounds, in situ, of all the photographed pianos for my future art project. You can check out my other piano photographs here, here, here, here, here, and here.
To see more on this project, feel free to visit my website!
More info: romainthiery.fr | Instagram | Facebook
- Read More: I Traveled Through The United States In Search Of The Most Beautiful Abandoned Pianos (11 Pics)
#1 Requiem Pour Pianos 118
Abandoned music room since the nineties, where only this New York Sohmer & Co. piano remains.
#2 Requiem Pour Pianos 113
Along a narrow road in the middle of a Pennsylvania, I found this small wooden house still filled with personal objects and a strange blue Poole piano. According to documents found on site, the house has not been lived in since the 1980s.
#3 Requiem Pour Pianos 117
A beautiful Steinway & Sons piano inside the sanctuary of an abandoned Presbyterian church.
#4 Requiem Pour Pianos 119
In the center of a small town, this wooden house is slowly seeing its beauty fade. Inside I discovered an incredible scene centered around a Poole piano.
#5 Requiem Pour Pianos 114
Two Lester pianos inside the auditorium of the abandoned J.W. Cooper High School in Pennsylvania.
#6 Requiem Pour Pianos 123
Sitting discreetly atop a hill, this Victorian house has not been lived in for a very long time. The owner, who was certainly a music lover, abandoned the house, leaving everything behind, including this Cunningham piano.
#7 Requiem Pour Pianos 128
Deep in the middle of a vast forest, I discovered this upright piano suffering from excess humidity and exposure to the elements.
#8 Requiem Pour Pianos 122
Steinway & Sons grand piano in this house was abandoned for more than two decades.
#9 Requiem Pour Pianos 115
I discovered a Cunningham piano in this dilapidated Victorian house. Founded in 1891, the Cunningham Piano Company was one of the largest and most successful manufacturers in the Philadelphia piano industry.
#10 Requiem Pour Pianos 120
This beautiful Victorian home still houses a Lester upright piano that’s in good working condition.
#11 Requiem Pour Pianos 116 II
I discovered a Cunningham piano in this dilapidated Victorian house.
