Sophie Ristelhueber is the laureate of this year’s Hasselblad Award. She will receive a prize of SEK 2,000,000 (roughly £154,000), a Hasselblad camera and a gold medal.
Born in Paris in 1949, Sophie Ristelhueber studied literature at the Sorbonne with a focus on the nouveau roman (‘new novel’). Her photography captures the emotional intensity in the enduring traces of human presence and activity, often in zones of conflict.
‘Through her series, created in war-torn regions, she challenged the field of journalistic photography, developing her own visual language. The traces and scars of violence – on land, the human body, and architecture – are central to her powerful, tightly cropped images, most notably in her acclaimed series focusing on the Middle East and the Balkans,’ the Hasselblad Foundation statement read.
‘As you know, one does not die from being unloved, but from being unbelieved, an old friend of mine used to say when we were talking about the artist’s condition. What is at stake is that we put everything on the line, inventing new patterns without knowing if they will ever resonate. And this is why, for me as an artist, this prestigious prize holds such a deep significance’, the artist said in a statement.
The annual Hasselblad Award was established by the Hasselblad Foundation in 1980 and is considered one of world’s leading photography prizes. Previous laureates include Carrie Mae Weems (2023), Wolfgang Tillmans (2015), Sophie Calle (2010), Nan Goldin (2007), Malick Sidibé (2003) and Cindy Sherman (1999) among others.
The award ceremony will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden on 10 October. A solo exhibition of Sophie Ristelhueber’s work will be on view at the Hasselblad Center from 11 October to 18 January.
