In 2020, the George Hoyningen-Huene Estate Archives were acquired by Tommy and Åsa Rönngren. As a result, the Archives moved from Sarasota, Florida, to a new home in Stockholm, Sweden. Tommy Rönngren is one of the Partners of Fotografiska, the Museum of Photography, and the new custodians of the Estate Archives share a lifelong passion for photography, design and architecture. The Archives are housed in a specially equipped facility that will allow the contents to be carefully cataloged and digitized, whilst being maintained in a safe and secure environment.
The Estate Archives comprise the world’s largest collection of George Hoyningen-Huene’s photographs, as well as magazines, original letters and documents. The material spans Huene’s entire career from the 1920’s to the 1960’s, until his death in 1968. Rare vintage prints illustrate his broad range of subject matter and are among the finest prints ever made of Huene’s images. Numerous test photographs provide a fascinating glimpse into his working methods and creative process, and the lengths he went to in his quest for perfection. The Archives also include exquisite platinum-palladium prints made after Huene’s death under the guidance of Horst P. Horst.
In these troubled times, photography stands out as one of the most important and immediate ways of communication. The clarity of visual language creates a rich and diverse narrative, touching people of all ages and nationalities. It has immediacy of meaning and offers a way of building bridges rather than walls. That positive force is what we, as custodians, will contribute to the George Hoyningen-Huene Estate Archives.
– Mission statement by Tommy and Åsa Rönngren
Although Hoyningen-Huene is already recognised as one of the masters of photography, what is generally known of his work represents only a small part of his output. One of the primary goals of the Estate Archives is to preserve and catalog the collection in such a way as to offer enhanced access to Huene’s work, not only to the familiar photographs, but also to the substantial number of unknown and unpublished images.
It is intended that the contents of the Archives will be made available to researchers, scholars, curators, collectors, and publishers. The Estate Archives will be collaborating with venues across the globe on lectures, events and special exhibitions in order to draw the public’s attention to the many facets of Huene’s work.This website will publish updated information regarding forthcoming exhibitions and will provide access to bibliographic reference material. The news page will provide up-to-date information on ongoing activities and new projects.Works displayed in the Exhibition Gallery will be rotated regularly in order to offer the most comprehensive presentations of George Hoyningen-Huene’s life and extraordinary legacy.
We are building a comprehensive database of George Hoyningen-Huene’s photographs in collections around the world. We would love to hear from you if you hold photographs in your personal collection, or in a public museum or archive. Please email us at contact@georgehoyningenhuene.org
