Candida Höfer
February 4, 1944
Architecture / Social Spaces
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Candida Höfer, born on February 4, 1944, in Eberswalde, Province of Brandenburg, Germany, is a distinguished photographer known for her meticulous technique and conceptual approach. A former student of Bernd and Hilla Becher, Höfer’s work reflects a keen eye for detail and a strict adherence to conceptual principles. She taught as a professor at the Hochschule für Gestaltung, Karlsruhe, from 1997 to 2000. Höfer received the prestigious Outstanding Contribution to Photography award at the Sony World Photography Awards in 2018. She is based in Cologne.

Höfer studied at the Kölner Werkschulen (Cologne Academy of Fine and Applied Arts) from 1964 to 1968. Following her graduation, she worked as a portrait photographer for newspapers, capturing Liverpudlian poets. She furthered her education from 1970 to 1972, studying daguerreotypes while assisting Werner Bokelberg in Hamburg. Later, she attended the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf from 1973 to 1982, studying film and photography under Bernd Becher.

Höfer initially delved into black-and-white photography, producing notable works such as “Flipper” (1973), a series of pinball machines in arcades and pubs, and the “Türken in Deutschland” (Turks in Germany) series (1973–1979), documenting Turkish migrant families. She transitioned to color photography in 1979, capturing the interiors of public buildings like offices, banks, and waiting rooms. Her work gained recognition with series featuring guest workers and later focused on interiors, rooms, and zoological gardens, exploring the psychology of social architecture.

Höfer’s work has been showcased in numerous solo exhibitions across Europe and the United States, including at prestigious institutions such as the Louvre, Kunsthalle Nürnberg, and Museum Folkwang. She participated in Documenta 11 in Kassel in 2002 and represented Germany at the Venice Biennale in 2003.

In 2019, Höfer was honored with the Outstanding Contribution to Photography award at the Sony World Photography Awards.

Notable sales of Höfer’s work include “Biblioteca Geral da Universidade de Coimbra IV” (2006), which sold for £80,500 ($121,233) at Christie’s London in 2015.

Candida Höfer’s enduring legacy lies in her meticulous documentation of architectural spaces, revealing the intricate interplay between built environments and human absence.

Bibliography
1999: Lucinda Devlin, Andreas Gursky, Candida Höfer: Rooms/Räume, ISBN 3883753688

2001: Candida Höfer: Architecture of Absence, ISBN 978-1-931788-48-9

2002: Candida Höfer: Hamburg, ISBN 978-3883756271

2003: Candida Höfer: A Monograph, ISBN 978-0500542729

2003: Candida Höfer, Martin Kippenberger: Venedig, ISBN 978-3883757049

2005: Libraries, ISBN 978-0500543146

2006: Candida Höfer: Louvre, ISBN 978-3-82960-250-1

2006: Candida Höfer: Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, ISBN 978-1903811610

2006: Candida Höfer: Brussels Series, ISBN 978-9057791000

2007: Candida Höfer: Weimar, ISBN 978-3829603461

2009: Candida Höfer: projects done, ISBN 978-3865606341

2009: Neues Museum Berlin: Photos by Candida Höfer, ISBN 978-3865607041

2009: On Kawara: Date Paintings in Private Collections, ISBN 978-3865605016

2010: Candida Höfer: Spaces of Their Own, ISBN 978-3829605144

2012: Candida Höfer: Haus Ludwig, ISBN 978-3869843476

2017: Candida Höfer: Space and Places, ISBN 978-0692963586
Projects
Flipper – 1973
a large photo-collage consisting of 47 gelatin silver prints. The images all depict pinball machines in arcades and pubs, sometimes seen with players and sometimes by themselves

‘Türken in Deutschland’ (Turks in Germany) series (1973–1979)

This series follows Turkish migrant families in their new German homes. It was during this period that Höfer became interested in colour, as she felt it suited her works better, and in interior spaces and their impact on the people who inhabit them and vice versa

Interiors, Rooms and Zoological Gardens

Representing public spaces such as museums, libraries, national archives or opera houses devoid of all human presence

Zoologische Gärten

In this series, Höfer shifted her focus away from interiors to zoos in Germany, Spain, England, France and the Netherlands. Implementing her typically descriptive style, Höfer’s images again seek to deconstruct the role institutions play in defining the viewer’s gaze by documenting animals in their caged environments

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