Candida Höfer: Philadelphia

Philadelphia, the largest city in Pennsylvania, is also one of the country’s oldest cities and a place of special historical and national significance: in 1776, the American Declaration of Independence was proclaimed in Philadelphia and in 1787 the constitution was enacted there. Highly symbolic and venerable institutions have a story to tell about the city’s 300-year history. In 2007, Candida Hofer selected some of them and explored them with her tried-and-tested approach to photography. The interiors of the Fisher Library, the Girard College, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Masonic Temple convey a genuine dignity and representative splendor. Typically of the artist, the photos depict the interiors in a deserted state and a axis-symmetrical view. Among the 13 large-scale color photographs of the Philadelphia Series , there is only one modern building, the Beth Sholom Synagogue.