Discover Hofer’s characteristically considered, large-format portraits, landscapes, cityscapes, still lifes and domestic interiors, many of which demonstrate her preference for the complex colour 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 colour of street and park life in New York and Washington, Hofer shot in colour 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.
...slow, considered and tenderly human photography.
- Time Out
Phoenix Park on a Sunday, Dublin, 1966
The forthcoming exhibition makes clear that Hofer was a formally brilliant photographer of people, places, environments and objects.
- Sean O'Hagan
I don’t like to spy on people…I respect them and I want them to respect what we are doing together.
Evelyn Hofer
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 colour images, as well as ephemera and books.
Evelyn Hofer is produced in collaboration with Galerie m, Bochum, Germany and the Estate of Evelyn Hofer.
Supported by Simon Blakey
Described as ‘a photographer’s photographer’ it seems much of the world is yet to discover Evelyn Hofer.
From her early life and photography career to her work in major global cities, and publications, Hofer’s quiet attention to detail and expressive use of colour would go on to influence many contemporary photographers.
Find out more about the woman behind the photographs.
Read more about Evelyn HoferEyes on the City accompanies Hofer’s first major museum exhibition in the United States in over 50 years and is organised around her photobooks. The photographs feature landscapes and architectural views combined with portraiture, conveying the unique character and personality of these urban capitals during a period of intense structural, social and economic transformations after World War II.
Buy the book nowAs a charity The Photographers’ Gallery is reliant on the support of our community to help us to continue our mission of exploring the power of photography. By becoming a member, your support makes a huge difference.
Membership makes a difference
