With the exhibition "Evelyn Hofer. Encounters with the Camera", the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation is presenting 67 works by the renowned photographer, created in the 1960s and 1970s in the USA and Europe. At the same time, "Female Perspectives from Vivian Maier to Barbara Klemm" presents works by nine female artists from the Art Collection Deutsche Börse who were active during the same period as Hofer. Both presentations will be on display at Deutsche Börse’s headquarters, the Cube, in Frankfurt/Eschborn from 8 October 2021 – 21 January 2022.

„Evelyn Hofer. Encounters with the Camera“

Evelyn Hofer (*1922, Marburg, † 2009 Mexico City) immigrated to Spain with her family in 1933 and later to Switzerland where she trained as a photographer. From the mid-1940s, she lived mainly in New York, where her work appeared in various major magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. 

In addition to these commissions, Hofer subsequently composed numerous photographic essays and extensive city portraits – of Washington, New York, London and Dublin, among others. Her subjects for these works were women, men and children from different social milieus and occupational groups, with a focus on the unspectacular and everyday. Meeting them with an unembellished gaze, her portraits elicit a captivating magic. Their apparent casualness and fleetingness are a fallacy. A true perfectionist, Hofer prepared and thought through almost every shot in advance. The cumbersome medium-format camera she worked with, which could only be used with a tripod, did not allow for snapshots. This makes Hofer’s skilful combination of photographic staging and her subject’s casual pausing, whom she photographed in their daily routines, all the more astonishing: the soot-smeared miner in Wales, the girl riding her bike in Dublin, the waitress in London or the motorbike policeman in Washington. All of them appear aware of the shot and at peace with themselves, and most gaze directly into the camera. Hofer’s respectful portraits are authentic representations of her subjects in their individual gestures and characteristics.

The fact that she adopted the use of colour film from the early 1960s onwards was not only unusual, but also courageous. Few photographers were working in colour at that time, although it was technically possible. The use of colour film, particularly the dye-transfer printing process regularly practised by Hofer, demanded a different way of composing images than when working with black-and-white film as well as the ability of handling a limited colour spectrum. With her keen sense of colour, form and space, Hofer created timeless photographic “encounters” that continue to touch us in their intensity. She spent the last years of her life in Mexico, where she died in 2009.  

“Female perspectives from Vivian Maier to Barbara Klemm” 

“Female perspectives from Vivian Maier to Barbara Klemm” showcases works by nine female artists from the Art Collection Deutsche Börse. The presented contemporaries of Evelyn Hofer are Diane Arbus, Sibylle Bergemann, Barbara Klemm, Ute Mahler, Vivian Maier, Susan Meiselas, Helga Paris, Mimi Plumb and Christine Spengler. 

Their photographs from the second half of the 20th century are documenting people in everyday life as well as in exceptional situations, showing private and political, street scenes and interiors and are the result of different photographic concepts. What unites them is their interest in the people they depict as well as their living conditions, which are both at the heart of the images. Whether the photographs are the consequence of a brief, spontaneous encounter or that of a long-standing examination, they all convey a closeness to the people who are their subjects and a meeting at eye level. At the same time, they all show an outstanding power of observation and the mastery of photographic portraiture which also characterises Hofer’s work. 

Notes for the editors:

A press preview will take place on 7 October 2021, 11:00, in The Cube, Mergenthalerallee 61, 65760 Eschborn. Anne-Marie Beckmann, Director of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation, will lead you through the exhibitions. Please register via leticia.adam@deutsche-boerse.com.

Here you can find an overview of the press images for „Evelyn Hofer. Encounters with the Camera“ and „Female Perspectives from Vivian Maier to Barbara Klemm“. We will be happy to send you press pictures in print quality on request.

Information for visitors: 
The exhibitions can be visited free of charge as part of guided tours. Please book in advance. The dates are available here. Furthermore, the exhibition will be open on “Open Saturdays” from 11:00 to 16:00. For these days, registration is not required, the first Saturday will be 30 October 2021. You can find more information about the hygiene concept for your visit on our homepage. 
Adress: The Cube, Mergenthalerallee 61, 65760 Eschborn

Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation

The Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation is a Frankfurt-based non-profit organisation. The foundation activities focus on collecting, exhibiting and promoting contemporary photography. Founded in 1999, the Art Collection Deutsche Börse now comprises more than 2,000 works by over 130 artists from 27 nations.
Together with The Photographers’ Gallery in London, the foundation awards the renowned Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize each year. The Foundation is particularly interested in promoting young artists and supports them in various ways, e.g. through awards, scholarships or their participation in the Talent program of the Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam FOAM. Other focal points include supporting exhibition projects of international museums and institutions, and the expansion of platforms for academic discussion about the medium. Further information is available at www.deutscheboersephotographyfoundation.org