The Hasselblad Foundation was established in 1979 at the will of

Victor Hasselblad Victor Hasselblad (8 March 1906 – 5 August 1978) was a Swedish inventor and photographer, known for inventing the Hasselblad 6x6 cm medium format camera. Life and work Hasselblad was born in Gothenburg. In 1940 Swedish Air Force officers ...

, as a fully independent, not-for-profit foundation based at Götaplatsen in

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

, Sweden. The main aim of the foundation is to promote research and academic teaching in the natural sciences and photography.

History

After the death of Victor Hasselblad in August 1978 it was announced by the Swedish government that he had bequeathed part of his fortune "to establish awards similar to Nobel Prizes," with the Erna and Victor Hasselblad Foundation "awarding prizes of around three million Swedish crowns ($700,000) once a year, or twice this sum every two years, to scientists in the natural sciences." At the time the sum corresponded to the annual Nobel prize awards for science and literature. The first grant, 500,000 Swedish Kronor in that instance, went to Sweden's Royal Institute of Technology's Department of Photography, then the country's only scientific research and teaching institution in the field of photography.

Erna and Victor Hasselblad Photography Center

In accord with its origin in the manufacture of innovative cameras, the Foundation also conducts its own research into photography at its Hasselblad Center, which opened in 1989, with Rune Hassner as the organisation's first head 1988–94, and it continues to exhibit Swedish and International photography. On Hassner's initiative the Center commenced a collection with a concentration on the work of Nordic photographers, among them Sune Jonsson, Christer Strömholm, Adriana Lestido, Pål-Nils Nilsson. The Center's purpose is to promote education in photography through research projects, seminars and lectures, and its library and archives for students and researchers. The Hasselblad Foundation's research library opened in 1999, initiated with Hassner's own extensive library which he donated in 1998. Among these actives American ornithologist-photographer Don Walte in 1988 was granted $21.000 Foundation to photograph birds with a video camera sharing a viewfinder with the Hasselblad camera, opening a new career as a film maker.

Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography

The Foundation also presents an annual international award in photography to "a photographer recognised for major achievements", exhibiting their work at the Center and publishing monographs on each. The first prize, 100,000 Swedish kronor and a gold medal, was awarded in November 1980 to Lennart Nilsson for his imagery of medicine and nature. Other winners included

Ernst Haas Ernst Haas (March 2, 1921 – September 12, 1986) was an Austrian-American photojournalist and color photographer. During his 40-year career Haas trod the line between photojournalism and art photography. In addition to his coverage of events ...

, Édouard Boubat, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Robert Häusser,

Henri Cartier-Bresson Henri Cartier-Bresson (; 22 August 1908 – 3 August 2004) was a French artist and Humanist photography, humanist photographer considered a master of candid photography, and an early user of 135 film, 35mm film. He pioneered the genre of street ...

Hiroshi Hamaya was a Japanese photographer active from 1935 to 1999.Sumiyo, Mihashi (), "Hamaya Hiroshi", in ''Nihon shashinka jiten'' () / ''328 Outstanding Japanese Photographers'' (Kyoto: Tankōsha, 2000; ), p.254. In Japanese only, despite the additional E ...

, William Klein,

Sebastião Salgado Sebastião Ribeiro Salgado Júnior (8 February 1944 – 23 May 2025) was a Brazilian social documentary photographer and photojournalist. He traveled in more than 120 countries for his photographic projects, which appeared in numerous press p ...

Susan Meiselas Susan Meiselas (born June 21, 1948) is an American documentary photographer. She has been associated with Magnum Photos since 1976 and been a full member since 1980. Currently she is the President of the Magnum Foundation. She is best known for ...

, and Boris Mikhailov.

Photography stipends

The Victor Fellowships

Awards continuous professional and artistic development outside the Nordic region since 2004. Two stipend winners are announced annually, one from United Kingdom and another one from New York.

The Grez-sur-Loing stipend

Awards Scandinavian photographers, or Scandinavians working abroad, with a residency located in

Grez-sur-Loing Grez-sur-Loing (, literally ''Grez on Loing''; formerly Grès-en-Gâtinais, literally ''Grès in Gâtinais'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in north-central France. It is 6 km north o ...

near

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...

, France. The awarded photographer is accommodated at the Hôtel Chevillon, restored by the Grez-sur-Loing Foundation. The Grez-sur-Loing stipends have been awarded since 1994.

The San Michele stipend

Targeting Swedish photographers, the winner of this stipend will follow in the footsteps of Swedish physician Axel Munthe, awarded with an international stay at Axel Munthe's Villa San Michele located on

Capri Capri ( , ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. A popular resort destination since the time of the Roman Republic, its natural beauty ...

, an island in the southern part of Italy.

Stipend in Nature Photography

A stipend established to encourage Nordic

nature photography Nature photography encompasses a wide range of photography taken outdoors and devoted to displaying natural elements such as landscapes, wildlife, plants, and close-ups of natural scenes and textures. Nature photography tends to place a stronger ...

, based on Victor Hasselblad's own interest in nature. In collaboration with Vårgårda Photo Club. First to be awarded was Swedish photographer Marcus Elmerstad.

Postdoctor in photography

Science

Science grants

Visiting professorship

Science stipends

References

External links

* Photography foundations Scientific research foundations Swedish photography organizations 1979 establishments by country Photography organizations by country Culture in Gothenburg {{sci-org-stub