Emil Otto Hoppé (1878–1972) is celebrated as one of the most important portrait photographers of the twentieth century, described by Cecil Beaton as “The Master.”
As one of the most celebrated photographers of early twentieth-century modernism, he stood at the forefront of a field that included such peers as Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, Paul Strand, Man Ray, August Sander, Germaine Krull, Tina Modotti, Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, Charles Sheeler, and Albert Renger-Patzsch.
In 1920, Hoppé’s name was more widely recognized than any of these figures, yet by the mid-1950s his estate had disappeared into a London picture archive, lost from view as photographic history was written around him. With the rediscovery and retrieval of his archive, the true depth of Hoppé’s artistry has come to light.
His portraits are remarkable for their psychological insight and sensitivity, portraying many of the most influential artists, writers, dancers, scientists, and world leaders of his era. His street photographs rival the best work of the time, while his modernist experiments combined human warmth with industrial abstraction and urban modernity. His travels produced a body of work of extraordinary cultural diversity, marked by an empathy and artistry that exceeded many of his contemporaries.
Bridging art and anthropology, modernism and humanism, Hoppé’s oeuvre secures his place among the master photographers of the twentieth century—artists whose vision helped shape how the modern world saw itself.