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Candida Hofer: Em Portugal - In Portugal
Portugal is a small country with a great past. Vasco da Gama's discovery of the sea route to India turned the independent kingdom of Portugal into the leading sea and colonial power in the Western world. Lisbon, presumably founded by the Phoenicians, was one of Europe's richest cities in the heyday of the Age of Discovery. Today, Portugal's monasteries and churches, its palaces, libraries, opera houses, and museums which have survived evoke past glory with immense murals composed of colored tiles and ornate sculptural décor.
We are publishing the volume to coincide with Candida Hofer's exhibition of her Portugal photos at Centro Cultural de Belém, Lisbon. Portuguese writer and 1998 Nobel Prize Winner for Literature, José Saramago, has written an essay for this catalog.
- GenresPortugalArtPhotography
128 pages, Hardcover
First published January 30, 2007
12 people want to read
About the author
Candida Höfer
34 books11 followersCandida Höfer (German, b.1944) is a photographer known for her large-format images of architectural interiors, which address the psychological environment of social and cultural institutions by acknowledging how public spaces are designed to accommodate and inform the public. After completing studies at the Cologne Werkschule, she enrolled in the Düsseldorf School of Art, where she was taught by Bernd and Hilla Becher, heavily influenced by the formal qualities of the austere documentary photography they endorsed.
Along with fellow German artists Thomas Struth, Andreas Gursky, and Thomas Ruff, Höfer's work became internationally recognized in the 1980s, and her subject matter expanded to include a myriad of places rooted in cultural formation and preservation, including museums, libraries, universities, theaters, civic centers, and historic sites. She has held numerous solo exhibitions throughout Europe and the United States, and her work has been included in several group shows at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Documenta XI in Kassel, and the Museum Ludwig in Cologne. In 2003, Höfer represented Germany in the Venice Biennale with fellow compatriot, Martin Kippenberger. She lives and works in Cologne, Germany.
Along with fellow German artists Thomas Struth, Andreas Gursky, and Thomas Ruff, Höfer's work became internationally recognized in the 1980s, and her subject matter expanded to include a myriad of places rooted in cultural formation and preservation, including museums, libraries, universities, theaters, civic centers, and historic sites. She has held numerous solo exhibitions throughout Europe and the United States, and her work has been included in several group shows at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Documenta XI in Kassel, and the Museum Ludwig in Cologne. In 2003, Höfer represented Germany in the Venice Biennale with fellow compatriot, Martin Kippenberger. She lives and works in Cologne, Germany.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 13, 2012
I'll quote Jose Saramago words written in the introduction to this book that captures our (Portuguese) essence (words of Alexandra Pinho) - "by capturing these spaces ... Candida Höfer didn't want to add more postcard pictures to our collection, she wanted to capture the void and make it visible" :)
January 18, 2008
I saw this exhibit at the Caixa Forum Barcelona last month. Definitely one of my favorite artists at the moment! Good Reads doesn't have her "Libraries" series which also one of my favs.
September 22, 2011
Gorgeous! The more I see of Hofer's work, the more I love it.
January 5, 2014
Beautiful pictures of Portuguese buildings, enabling us to appreciate the architecture, the beauty and the void.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews