Most Touched

Most Touched is the most extensive photographic collection of door handles ever published in book form. Over 1,000 examples were meticulously gathered by design and architecture expert Barbara Glasner through years of dedicated effort.

Featuring photographs by more than 100 artists, architects, and designers—alongside many of Glasner’s own images—Most Touched presents a comprehensive and singular typological compendium of an often-overlooked yet indispensable architectural detail: the door handle.

From iconic, sculptural handle designs to mass-produced industrial models, the collection reveals timeless themes spanning aesthetic impact, materiality, function, ergonomics, ornamentation, patina, status, and style. The handles are displayed on equal footing throughout the book, with a strict graphic concept that transforms this archival publication into a contemporary art object.

Four essays by renowned authors delve into the cultural dimensions of door handles, complementing the visual content.

Most Touched was awarded the Bronze Medal at the 2023 German Photo Book Prize in the category of Documentary Photography Picture Books.