Candida Höfer (b. 1944)

CONTEMPORARY ART AT THE TURN OF THE MILLENNIUM: A SELECTION OF WORKS FROM A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION

A collection of contemporary art exploring contemporary horizons of painting, photography, and the intersections between the two. From the poetic Abstract Expressionist inheritance of Jimmie Durham and Bjarne Melgaard to the cool architectural eye of Candida Höfer, the collection bears witness to a carefully curated spectrum of international postmodern imagery. The conceptual camerawork of Thomas Demand sits potently alongside photography translated to painting in the work of Koen van den Broek; the philosophical poise of acclaimed Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco offsets Kyle Thurman’s joyful alchemy of flower pigments. Highlighting the collection’s technological edge, Michael Riedel’s serigraphy investigates the inner workings of a Powerpoint slideshow, capturing the essence of the moment between clicks, while Darren Almond tracks time and space through a photographic performance piece. Similarly process-oriented is the tight sequential minimalism of Nathan Hylden, following strict cinematographic codes. The vibrant worlds of modern image production and reproduction are appraised in vivid variety, unified by a keen sense of pictorial power.

A former student of Bernd and Hilla Becher, Candida Höfer’s photography demonstrates the same technical aptitude and capacity for narrative through poignant sobriety. Höfer encourages a reconsideration of canonical works of architecture by disconnecting the spaces from human presence. Her photographs present a world created by and for man; yet with mankind nowhere to be seen. Characteristic of Höfer’s visual language, this absence creates a subdued temperance allowing the viewer space for contemplation, evident in Villa Medici Rome IV. Normally famed for its lavish opulence and as a centre for culture and tourism, Höfer reinterprets the Villa Medici as a scene of unexpected domestic quietude, devoid of the bustle of the sightseer’s camera flashes.