Evelyn Hofer’s City Photographs at the Nelson-Atkins Museum

From September 16, 2023 to February 11, 2024, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City presents “Evelyn Hofer: Eyes on the City”

Source: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art · Image: Evelyn Hofer, German (1922–2009). Queensboro Bridge, New York, 1964. Dye transfer print, 16 5/8 × 13 5/16 inches. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Gift of the Hall Family Foundation, 2019.39.10. ©Estate of Evelyn Hofer

“Evelyn Hofer: Eyes on the City” is the first major museum exhibition in the United States in over 50 years for Hofer, a highly innovative photographer whose pioneering work spanned five decades but remained under recognized in her lifetime. The exhibition focuses on her series of widely distributed photobooks devoted to European and American cities, published throughout the 1960s, and it features more than 100 vintage prints in both black and white and color from those publications. The works are drawn exclusively from the artist’s estate and the collections of the High and Nelson-Atkins.

“We are delighted for the opportunity to present these photographs together for the first time at our institutions and to highlight Hofer’s important artistic contributions, including as an early adopter of color photography,” said Julián Zugazagoitia, Menefee D. and Mary Louise Blackwell Director & CEO of the Nelson-Atkins.

Born in Germany in 1922, Hofer left with her family for Switzerland in 1933 in response to the rise of fascism, settling first in Geneva, where as a teen she studied photography with Hans Finsler, a pioneer of the “new objectivity” movement. After time in Madrid, the family moved to Mexico, where Hofer worked briefly as a professional photographer. In 1946, she arrived in New York, where she worked with art director Alexey Brodovitch to produce photo essays for Harper’s Bazaar. She quickly expanded her practice and became an acclaimed editorial photographer.

Though celebrated for her editorial work, Hofer never received wide acclaim, due in part to her unique style and methods. New York Times art critic Hilton Kramer notably referred to her as “the most famous unknown photographer in America.”

“Hofer wanted to get under the skin of a city, to picture the essential character of a place and its people,” said April Watson, Senior Curator, Photography at the Nelson-Atkins and co-curator of the exhibition.