b. 1944
b. 1944
Born in Eberswalde, Germany in 1944, Candida Höfer attended the Kunstacademie Düsseldorf from 1973 to 1982. Whilst there she studied film with the Danish filmmaker Ole John and photography under the influential photographers Bernd and Hilla Becher, who also taught noted Düsseldorf School photographers Andreas Gursky, Thomas Struth, Axel Hütte and Thomas Ruff.
Known for her meticulously composed, large-scale color images of architectural interiors, Höfer’s oeuvre explores the structure, presentation, and influence of space. Interested in the psychological impact of design and the contrast between a room’s intended and actual use, Höfer has focused her lens on cultural and institutional buildings such as libraries, hotels, museums, concert halls, and palaces. Whilst devoid of people, the images allow us to consider the role of their missing inhabitants. The large-scale nature of the work invites the viewer to linger over the architectural details and contemplate the subtle shifts in light that make up the character of the space.
On her decision to exclude people from her photographs, Höfer has said, “…it became apparent to me that what people do in these spaces – and what these spaces do to them – is clearer when no one is present, just as an absent guest is often the subject of a conversation.”
Höfer's internationally recognized work has been shown in solo exhibitions at the Kunsthalle in Basel and in Berne; the Museum Folkwang in Essen; the Louvre in Paris; the North Carolina Museum of Art; the Museo Amparo, Mexico; the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia; the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin; and the Kunstmuseum Luzerne, Switzerland. Her work has also appeared in group exhibitions at The Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Power Plant, Toronto; Kusthaus Bregenz; Museum Ludwig, Cologne; the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao; the Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art, Rollins Museum of Art, and Documenta XI, Kassel. Höfer represented Germany at the 2003 Venice Biennale. In 2018, the Sony World Photography Awards recognized Candida Höfer for her outstanding contribution to photography. Her photographs are in major public and private collections worldwide.
Candida Höfer lives and works in Cologne, Germany.
Teatro La Fenice di Venezia V 2011
C-print
70 7/8 x 92 1/2 inches (180 x 235 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-7931
Palazzo Ducale Mantova III 2011
C-print
70 7/8 x 66 1/2 inches (180 x 169 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-7936
Mason Temple Philadelphia I 2007
C-print
70 7/8 x 95 5/16 inches (180 x 242 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-7307
Teatro Mercadante Napoli II 2009
C-print
70 7/8 x 89 3/8 (180 x 225 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-7465
Neuer Stahlhof Düsseldorf V 2016
C-print
70 7/8 x 92 3/8 inches (180 x 234.6 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-8811
Dominikanerkirche Sankt Andreas Düsseldorf II 2011
C-print
paper: 70 7/8 x 87 15/16 inches (180 x 223.3 cm)
framed: 72 7/16 x 89 1/2 x 1 3/4 inches (184 x 227.3 x 4.4 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-8511
Schauspielhaus Düsseldorf I 2012
C-print
paper: 70 7/8 x 100 1/4 inches (180 x 254.6 cm)
framed: 72 7/16 x 101 3/4 x 1 3/4 inches (184 x 258.4 x 4.4 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-8653
Sankt Maximilian Düsseldorf I 2012
C-print
paper: 70 7/8 x 67 1/2 inches (180 x 171.5 cm)
framed: 72 7/16 x 69 1/8 x 1 3/4 inches (184 x 175.6 x 4.4 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-8643
Benrather Schloss Düsseldorf I 2011
C-print
paper: 70 7/8 x 56 1/2 inches (180 x 143.4 cm)
framed: 72 7/16 x 58 x 1 3/4 inches (184 x 147.3 x 4.4 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-7996
Hermitage St. Petersburg VII 2014
C-print
paper: 70 7/8 x 83 1/16 inches (180 x 211 cm)
framed: 72 7/16 x 84 5/8 x 1 3/4 inches (184 x 215 x 4.4 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-8718
Palazzo Ducale Mantova IV 2011
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70 7/8 x 65 3/8 inches (180 x 165.7 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-7937
Villa Borghese Roma IV 2012
C-print
paper: 70 7/8 x 89 7/16 inches (180 x 227.2 cm)
framed: 72 7/16 x 91 inches (184 x 231.2 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-8602
George Peabody Library Baltimore II 2010
C-print
print: 70 7/8 x 78 5/8 inches (180 x 198.6 cm)
framed (approx.): 72 5/8 x 80 1/8 inches (184 x 202.6 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-7671
Malkasten Düsseldorf II 2011
C-print
paper: 70 7/8 x 66 3/4 inches (180 x 169.6 cm)
framed: 72 7/16 x 68 3/8 x 1 3/4 inches (184 x 173.7 x 4.4 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-8512
Teatro Comunale di Carpi I 2011
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70 7/8 x 93 5/16 inches (180 x 237 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-7952
Teatro Olimpico Vicenza I 2010
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70 7/8 x 86 5/8 inches (180 x 220 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-7841
Teatro Olimpico Vicenza III 2010
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70 7/8 x 56 3/4 inches (180 x 144 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-7846
San Martino Napoli I 2009
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70 7/8 x 89 3/8 inches (180 x 227 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-7472
Palacio Nacional de Queluz III 2006
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70 7/8 x 83 7/8 inches (180 x 213 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-6947
Mason Temple Philadelphia IV 2007
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59 13/16 x 70 1/16 (152 x 178 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-7390
Catherine Palace Pushkin St. Petersburg III 2014
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paper: 70 7/8 x 82 11/16 inches (180 x 210 cm)
framed: 72 7/16 x 84 1/4 x 1 3/4 inches (184 x 214 x 4.4 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-8746
Villa Borghese Roma I 2012
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paper: 70 7/8 x 85 1/2 inches (180 x 217.2 cm)
framed: 72 7/16 x 87 1/16 inches (184 x 221.2 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-8599
Palazzo Ducale Mantova I 2011
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70 7/8 x 96 7/8 inches (180 x 246 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-7934
George Peabody Library Baltimore III 2010
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print: 70 7/8 x 78 1/8 inches (180 x 198.4 cm)
framed (approx.): 72 1/2 x 79 5/8 inches (184 x 202.4 cm)
edition of 6 with 3 APs
CH-7669
Through the Lens of Candida Hofer, Aug. 8, 2010
Artist Talk—Candida Höfer: Turks in Germany 1979, Harvard Art Museums, October 1, 2019.