Ismo Hölttö
ISMO HÖLTTÖ, "PÄIVI".
Sign. and with stamp on verso. Printed 1966. Gelatin silver print. Unique. Image size 38,9x30 cm.
Provenance
Private collection.
Exhibitions
The Finnish Museum of Photography 2008-2009, l'Espace Francois-Mitterand, Guingamp, France 2010, Vaasa Art Hall 2011.
Literature
"Ihminen pääosassa" (People in the Lead Role) Ismo Hölttö, Helsinki 1989, p. 95.
More information
Photographed in 1966, The Summer Service, Oulu, Finland.
Collections: The Finnish Museum of Photograpy; Private collections (3 pcs).
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.