Evelyn Hofer at The Photographers’ Gallery is the first UK solo exhibition of the German-American photographer Evelyn Hofer (1922–2009). Discover Hofer’s characteristically considered, large-format portraits, landscapes, cityscapes, still lifes and domestic interiors, many of which demonstrate her preference for the complex color dye transfer process. New York Times art critic Hilton Kramer described Hofer as ‘the most famous unknown photographer in America’. A description that still rings true today.
From black and white portraits in London and Wales to the vibrant color of street and park life in New York and Washington, Hofer shot in color and black and white throughout her career, depending on which she thought right for her subjects. With a keen sense of class structure, her portraits give equal measure to her subjects; from a waitress at the Garrick Club in London and gravediggers in Dublin, to the uniformed Joint Chiefs in Washington’s corridors of power.
Imbued with a sense of timelessness, Hofer’s work contrasted with the ‘shoot-from-the-hip’ style of contemporaries such as Robert Frank and William Klein. This major retrospective spans 45 years of image-making, featuring over 110 black and white and color images, as well as ephemera and books. Evelyn Hofer is produced in collaboration with Galerie m, Bochum, Germany and the Estate of Evelyn Hofer.
