Unexpectedly, my posts on prison tattoo photography have been very popular – [1], [2], [3], and [4]. Continuing the theme, I’d like to feature the work of Herbert Hoffman.
From an early age, Herbert Hoffmann (1919-2010, b. Pommern, Germany) was drawn to people with tattoos. He was educated in Berlin. During the Third Reich, tattooed people were seen as criminals and consequently, the tattoo culture diminished. In 1940, Hoffman signed up for basic military service with the German army. From 1945-49, Hoffmann was held prisoner of war by the Russians. When he returned to Germany he worked as a travelling salesman, and encountered many persons who were tattooed despite the old Nazi ban. While working Hoffmann always took along his camera and photographed the people he met. In 1961, Hoffmann opened his own tattoo studio in Hamburg, Germany.
FIRST TATTOOS, THEN PHOTOGRAPHS
Hoffman distinguishes himself from photographers who look in at the tattoo culture from the outside. He defined the culture and then adopted the lion’s share of documenting it. Hoffman’s DIY method is like that of graffiti artists who return with a camera to make images of the surfaces which they have earlier decorated. (Notably, Hoffman’s tattooing preceded the rise of graffiti and its recognition as art/culture in the 1970s/80s.)
Aged 91, Hoffman passed away on June 30th of this year. Despite the indisputable novelty of his photographs, and his central position to German tattoo culture, Hoffman only received mainstream recognition very late in life. No surprise really; Hoffman was working with the maligned, ‘lowly vernacular’ medium of photography, to record the re-emerging tattoo subculture.
TEN HAAF EXHIBIT
Hoffman’s images are on show at Ten Haaf Projects in Amsterdam until December 18th. Ten Haaf Projects, Laurierstraat 248, 1016 PT Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Tel: 020-4285885 www.tenhaafprojects.com. And how good is this? At the Ten Haaf opening in October artist Henk Schiffmacher tattooed Hoffman’s designs on exhibition goers.
EXHIBITS / BOOKS
Hoffman’s books are here and a picture gallery of Hoffman’s life here.
Selected Solo Exhibitions: 2010 ‘Living Pictures’ Ten Haaf Projects Amsterdam; 2010 ‘St Pauli’s Souvenirs’ Galerie Lehmann Berlin. Publications: 2008 ‘Skinscapes, Die Kunst der Körperoberfläche’, text Herald Kimpel, Hrsg: H . Kimpel, Marburger Kunstverein Marburg; 2006 ‘Signs and Surfaces’ by Andreas Fux, Herbert Hoffmann, Ali Kepenek Hrsg Künstlerhaus Bethanien Berlin; ‘Mensch! Photographien aus Dresdner Sammlungen’, Hrsg: Wolfgang Hesse und Katja Schumann; ‘Kupferstichkabinett’, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.
ALL IMAGES © HERBERT HOFFMAN
4 comments
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November 20, 2010 at 12:05 pm
Pega
Last year, I had the honor to meet and photograph Herbert Hoffmann at the Florence Tattoo Convention in Italy.
A very nice and pleasant old guy. Rest in peace Herbert.
November 26, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Tätowierer Herbert Hoffman
[…] sourse […]
January 18, 2011 at 3:36 pm
Cory
I saw the exhibition at tenhaaf in November, absolutely amazing but a shame that the guy who owned the gallery wasn’t that big into tattoo art…. just saw dollar signs really……cruel irony how someone so underground gets exploited only after death, never to see the profit that this guy will get from selling his photos…….. Having said that it was nice for someone to display these amazing photos that may have otherwise gone unseen….
February 17, 2017 at 7:21 am
Top 5 Traditional Artists of All Time – A Look into American Traditional Tattoo Influence and Culture
[…] Herbert Hoffman wasn’t a American at all. In fact he was German but his influence around the world is with out a doubt extraordinary. He helped popularize the traditional tattoo art through out the world and with out him we wouldn’t see traditional art was we know it today. […]