Jacob Holdt
author · photographer
Jacob Holdt is a Danish photographer, writer, and lecturer known for his extensive documentation of social issues in the United States. In the early 1970s, he traveled across America as a hitchhiker, capturing thousands of photographs that revealed the hardships of the American underclass, including poverty, racism, and marginalization. His work gained international recognition in 1977 with the publication of 'American Pictures'. Holdt's approach is characterized by social realism; he often lived among the people he photographed to gain deep insight into their lives. Beyond his photographic work, he has been a lecturer on social differences and has worked as a volunteer for CARE in various third-world countries. He has also documented white supremacist groups and supported humanitarian projects in Angola and Zimbabwe.[1,2]
- social realism
- poverty
- American underclass
- human rights
- marginalization
Books
Works by Jacob Holdt
- 1977 American Pictures Original publication in Dutch as 'Amerikaanse Indrukken'.
- 2007 United States 1970–1975
- 1991 Indians and Campesinos in Bolivia
- 1996 Nepals Jord
- 2010 Tro, håb og kærlighed – Jacob Holdts Amerika Exhibition catalogue.
Exhibitions
- 2009 Faith, Hope & Love: Jacob Holdt's America
Awards
- 2008 Shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize
- 2009 Fogtdal Photographers Award
- Lifelong artist's grant