| The Hasselblad Foundation

In 1941, the Swedish photographer and industrialist Victor Hasselblad (1906– the relationship between individual subjects and the structures within which 1978) founded a camera factory in Göteborg, Sweden. He developed the they live. His interest in the violent history of his country, and his awareness of Hasselblad Camera System which is now world famous. Victor Hasselblad the symbolic significance of architecture, form an extraordinary statement, both and his wife Erna donated their entire fortune for the creation of a foundation personal and socio-political. Photography, in the words of David Goldblatt, for the promotion of research and education in the natural sciences and reveals ‘something of the subtlety and ambiguity of our shifting and frequently photography. The Erna and Victor Hasselblad Foundation was established contradictory perceptions of reality.’ His acute historical and political in 1979. perception provides a sense of the texture of daily life, and an important piece of missing information regarding life under apartheid in South Africa.” In addition to awarding substantial grants in the natural sciences and its funding of the Hasselblad Center, the Foundation, for instance, annually The previous Hasselblad Award winners are: Lennart Nilsson, Ansel Adams, presents the Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography, to Henri Cartier-Bresson, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Irving Penn, Ernst Haas, Hiroshi “a photographer recognized for major achievements”. Hamaya, Edouard Boubat, Sebastião Salgado, William Klein, Richard Avedon, Josef Koudelka, Sune Jonsson, Susan Meiselas, Robert Häusser, Robert Frank, Christer Strömholm, William Eggleston, Cindy Sherman, Boris THE HASSELBLAD FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL AWARD IN Mikhailov, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Jeff Wall, Malick Sidibé, Bernd & Hilla Becher PHOTOGRAPHY and Lee Friedlander. The Hasselblad Foundation has selected South African photographer David Goldblatt to receive the 2006 Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography. This year’s prize committee, which submitted its proposal to THE HASSELBLAD CENTER the Foundation’s board of directors comprised: Marta Gili, (Chair) Head of The Hasselblad Center was opened by the Erna and Victor Hasselblad Photography and Visual Arts Department, Fundació “la Caixa”, Barcelona, Foundation in 1989. The aim of the Center is to promote research and Spain, Judy Annear, Senior Curator Photography, Art Gallery of New South education in the field of photography. The Center organizes seminars and Wales, Sydney, Australia, Miriam Bäckström, Photographer, Stockholm, lectures, and has a reference library and archives for use by researchers Sweden, Christine Frisinghelli, Director of Camera Austria, Graz, Austria and students. The Center also has a substantial and growing photographic and Ulrich Pohlmann, Director of the Fotomuseum, Münchner Stadtmuseum, collection, its primary focus being the works of contemporary Nordic artists Munich, Germany. and of the Hasselblad Award winners.

The Foundation’s citation in conjunction with the decision to award the 2006 The Hasselblad Center’s exhibition space hosts five temporary exhibitions prize to David Goldblatt was as follows: annually, including the show accompanying the presentation of the Hasselblad “David Goldblatt‘s work is a lifelong observation of the social and political Award. Various exhibitions from the Center are currently on tour in Sweden developments in South African society. He has been concerned with exploring and abroad.