Artist Database

Pieter Hugo was born in Johannesburg in 1976 and currently resides in Cape Town. He first worked in the Cape Town film industry before spending two years at Fabrica, a research centre for creatives in Italy. Hugo is a self-taught artist who draws inspiration from both art historical traditions and documentary styles. He is primarily a portrait photographer whose work explores themes such as identity, class, race, culture, and privilege. His subjects often feature marginalised individuals in South Africa and across the African continent.

Hugo’s works can be found in many public and private collections, including Centre Pompidou, Paris, France; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; V&A Museum, London, UK; J Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA, USA; the Museum of Modern Art and Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, New York City, NY, USA.