Ismo Hölttö
Covered by droit de suite
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ISMO HÖLTTÖ, "MAN SELLING BALLOONS".
A tergo sign. Lambda print, 1/12. Sheet size 122,5x95 cm.
Ej examinerad ur ram.
Provenance
Private collection.
Exhibitions
Gallery Nykyaika, Tampere, Finland, 2006; Retrospective, The Finnish Museum of Photography, Helsinki, Finland, 2008; Retrospective, Vaasa City Art Gallery, Vaasa, Finland, 2011; Une vision finlandaise, l’Espace François-Mitterrand, Guingamp, France, 2010.
Literature
"Ihminen pääosassa" (People in the Lead Role), Ismo Hölttö, Author's edition, Helsinki, 1989, s. 189; Oi maamme! "Valokuvia Suomesta (Our Land! Photographs from Finland)", Musta Taide, Helsinki, 2007, s. 39
More information
Photographed 1964 May Day, Market Square, Helsinki, Finland. Collections: The Finnish Museum of Photography, Helsinki, Finland;
Designer
Ismo Hölttö (b. 1940) is considered one of the greatest Finnish photographers of all time. Hölttö shot the main body of his artistic work during ten years between 1961 and 1970 while working as a goldsmith. The combination of his natural talent, social skills and the special time in history when he photographed his portraits resulted in photography that is also exceptional from an international point of view.
In 1970 Hölttö received a government grant for artistic work, quit his job as a goldsmith and founded his own studio. Hölttö continued to work in commercial photography until the year 2000 when he went into retirement.
Today Hölttö focuses his creative energy on croquis drawing that he started with already in 1964 when he went in to study drawing at Ateneum in his home town Helsinki. A familiar theme still runs in his art: the drawing are powerful, skillfully executed portraits of Finnish people.