Visual intelligence consists in transforming observation into emotion.
— Christer Strömholm
Born in Stockholm in 1918, Christer Strömholm initially studied painting before turning to photography in 1947, when he moved to Paris. Enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts, he discovered the power of the image and the unique possibilities of the photographic medium.
For about a decade, he produced various reportages, including portraits of artists and street scenes in the vein of humanist photography. He also developed a particular sensitivity to lives on the margins, documenting with nuance the intimacy of transvestites and transgender individuals in Place Blanche.
From 1962 onwards, he undertook numerous travels, notably to Japan, India, the United States, and Africa. Between 1962 and 1974, he headed the School of Photography at the University of Stockholm, where he trained more than 1,200 students, many of whom would go on to shape the contemporary Scandinavian photographic scene. Since then, Christer Strömholm’s photographs have been widely exhibited and published, both in Sweden and internationally, particularly in Spain, Portugal, Germany, Mexico, and Argentina.