Candida Höfer: The Louvre

Candida Hofer's photographs, devoid of all human presence, are silent at first sight. In a masterly, almost magical way, they bear witness to the strength of architecture and the magnificence of painted or sculpted decoration, and despite (or perhaps because of) the absence of the public, they capture the basic purpose of cultural institutions, such as museums, open houses and libraries, which have been her favourite theme for some ten years. Here Hofer turns her attention to the vast universe of the Louvre. This series of photographs allows her to examine one of the key elements in the history of the Louvre and a specific feature of museum architecture: the gallery. The changing curves of the vaulted ceilings become the recurrent motif, the hallmark of these images. They bore deep into our vision, as if our gaze could be swallowed up inside an infinitely long tunnel.
Through Hofer's work, the Louvre regains its magical power as a place inhabited by history and art; and by this rigorous symmetry, the gaze of the public is directed straight to the heart of the photographic image, revealing a new imaginative space.