Christer Strömholm

The most important theme in Christer Strömholm’s artistry was the search for, and exploration of, people's true identity. His documentary images from projects in 1950s Paris, “Vännerna på Place Blanche” (Les nuits de Place Blanche), has become legendary. As famous as the pictures of his transgender friends at the Moulin Rouge and the Place Blanche nightclubs, is the image of the well-made-up Spanish lady. To Christer Strömholm, taking photographs was a sacred task. He did not take any commercial assignments but instead took various other odd jobs, such as press photographer, copyist, bartender, or tour guide to raise money for film and other photographic material. It was on a trip to Barcelona that the famous picture of the androgynous lady was taken in an afternoon brothel, during a break between Strömholm’s guided tours. The pale lady was on display, among other prints, in an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2012 together with works by other internationally important photographers. The photograph has also been exhibited at institutions and galleries all over Europe as well as the exhibition “CHR” at Fotografiska in Stockholm in 2012. The photograph is on the cover of the 2011 edition of “La Petite Encyclopédie de la Photographie” which covers the 220 most prominent photographers in the history of photography.