Candida Höfer - Biography

The stage is powerfully featured in the image, but the curtain and theseats are empty. when Candida Höfer photographs the Paris Opera, it is only in a completely inanimate state. Neither actors nor visitors can be seen. It is precisely this which is typical of the famous photographer. Equally typical is her preference for symmetry, an uniform sharpness of depth in which every detail appears clearly, and dramatic lighting which first feels unnatural because its source remains a mystery. Candida Höfer often works with natural and artificial light . The technical characteristics of her work cause the actual function of the room to remain of secondary interest, which allows the representative atmospheres of the rooms to figure all the more prominently.

"Equally typical is her preference for symmetry."

Since the 80s, Candida Höfer has been interested in interiors, mostly those with a past. Her portrayals of libraries, concert halls, archives, and museums are famous. They are all venues of western cultural understanding. Although the photographer has no particular documentary interest, the architecture, conception, and organizationof a library speak volumes about the interests and the cultural, educational, and scientific paradigms of western societies. These are spaces in which the identity of a cultural milieu becomes evident. Candida Höfer is interested in the structure, layout, organization, and especially the decor of these rooms. The very similar lighting of certain types of buildings in a thematic series invites the viewer to compare one image to another.

 

Höfer, born in 1944 in Eberswalde, enrolled in the photography class of Bernd and Hilla Becher at the Art Academy in Düsseldorf in 1976. Along with Andreas Gursky, Axel Hütte, Thomas Ruff, and Thomas Struth, Candida Höfer is one of the most important representatives of the Becher school.  In 2002 she took part in the Documenta 11 in Kassel, and in 2003 she and Martin Kippenberger represented Germany at the 50th Biennale di Venezia.

Candida Höfer - collections

Candida Höfer's work is included in numerous public collections, including the Bavarian Painting Collections in Munich and the Tate Collection in London. Private collections like the Essl collection, the Schaufler collection, and the Lothar Schirmercollection have already purchased works by the artist.

 

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