Text by Edward Burtynsky, Michael Mitchell, William E. Rees, Paul Roth.
Burtynsky hones in on the wide-reaching infrastructure surrounding the harvesting, distribution and use of one of humanity's most controversial resources: oil
"In 1997 I had what I refer to as my oil epiphany," says Edward Burtynsky. "It occurred to me that the vast, human-altered landscapes that I pursued and photographed for over 20 years were only made possible by the discovery of oil and the mechanical advantage of the internal combustion engine. It was then that I began the oil project." Newly reissued and redesigned, this book surveys the ambitious decade Edward Burtynsky (born 1955) spent exploring the subject of oil. Burtynsky traveled internationally to chronicle the production, distribution and use of one of the most critical fuels of our time. Pictured here are landscapes altered by the extraction of oil, alongside cities and urban sprawl generated around its use. From aerial views of oil fields to highways ribboning across the landscape, Oil is the definitive photographic documentation of this central and controversial topic.
STATUS: Forthcoming | 3/3/2026
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Published by Steidl. Text by Edward Burtynsky, Michael Mitchell, William E. Rees, Paul Roth.
Burtynsky hones in on the wide-reaching infrastructure surrounding the harvesting, distribution and use of one of humanity's most controversial resources: oil
"In 1997 I had what I refer to as my oil epiphany," says Edward Burtynsky. "It occurred to me that the vast, human-altered landscapes that I pursued and photographed for over 20 years were only made possible by the discovery of oil and the mechanical advantage of the internal combustion engine. It was then that I began the oil project."
Newly reissued and redesigned, this book surveys the ambitious decade Edward Burtynsky (born 1955) spent exploring the subject of oil. Burtynsky traveled internationally to chronicle the production, distribution and use of one of the most critical fuels of our time. Pictured here are landscapes altered by the extraction of oil, alongside cities and urban sprawl generated around its use. From aerial views of oil fields to highways ribboning across the landscape, Oil is the definitive photographic documentation of this central and controversial topic.
