Hasselblad Foundation

The Hasselblad Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit Swedish foundation established in 1979 in accordance with the wishes of photographer, inventor, and camera manufacturer Victor Hasselblad. Based in Gothenburg, the foundation promotes two principal fields: photography and the natural sciences. Its activities combine grants, scholarships, academic support, research, exhibitions, and the preservation and interpretation of photographic culture. The foundation was created after Victor Hasselblad’s death in August 1978. His bequest was intended to support awards and grants of a scale comparable in spirit to major scientific prizes, reflecting his wish to encourage scientific excellence as well as photography. One of the foundation’s early grants supported the Department of Photography at Sweden’s Royal Institute of Technology, then the country’s only scientific research and teaching institution specifically focused on photography. This dual commitment to scientific inquiry and photographic practice remains central to the foundation’s identity. Photography is advanced through the Erna and Victor Hasselblad Photography Center, commonly known as the Hasselblad Center, at the Gothenburg Museum of Art. Opened in 1989, the center presents Swedish and international photography and provides a setting for exhibitions, research projects, seminars, lectures, and educational work. Its collection has a strong Nordic emphasis and includes work by photographers such as Sune Jonsson, Christer Strömholm, Adriana Lestido, and Pål-Nils Nilsson. The center’s research library and archives serve students, scholars, and other researchers. The library was formally established in 1999 after the foundation received the extensive photography library of Rune Hassner, who had served as the center’s first head from 1988 to 1994 and played an important role in developing its collection. The foundation’s best-known public program is the annual Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography. It recognizes a photographer for major achievements, and the laureate’s work is presented at the Hasselblad Center and commonly documented in a monograph. The first recipient, in 1980, was Lennart Nilsson, recognized for photography concerning medicine and nature. Later recipients have included Ernst Haas, Édouard Boubat, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Robert Häusser, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Hiroshi Hamaya, William Klein, Sebastião Salgado, Susan Meiselas, and Boris Mikhailov. Through the award and its related exhibitions and publications, the foundation has become an important international institution in photographic culture. The foundation also administers several photography stipends and fellowships. These include the Victor Fellowships, which support professional and artistic development outside the Nordic region; the Grez-sur-Loing stipend for Scandinavian photographers or Scandinavian photographers working abroad; the San Michele stipend for Swedish photographers; and a stipend in nature photography developed in cooperation with Vårgårda Photo Club. Its photography portfolio also includes a postdoctoral position intended to strengthen advanced research and academic knowledge in photography. These programs reflect the foundation’s interest in photography as both an artistic practice and an area of scholarly investigation. Scientific activity is maintained separately from the photographic programs but follows the same founding purpose. The foundation supports grants for natural-science research, visiting professorships that encourage international academic exchange in Sweden, and science stipends for researchers. The resulting organization is neither a camera manufacturer nor a conventional consumer brand: it is a grant-making and cultural institution whose public identity is linked to the Hasselblad legacy while remaining organizationally independent. Its present role is to connect photography, research, education, and international exchange through prizes, fellowships, exhibitions, collections, and academic support.

The Hasselblad Foundation originated in the estate planning of Victor Hasselblad, whose work in camera manufacturing and personal interest in photography and nature shaped the institution’s later remit. Following his death in August 1978, the Swedish government announced that part of his fortune had been left for the creation of a foundation capable of supporting major awards and scientific activity. The Erna and Victor Hasselblad Foundation was established in 1979 as an independent, not-for-profit organization in Gothenburg. The founding vision gave the foundation a deliberately broad mandate. It was expected to support research and academic teaching in the natural sciences while also promoting photography. An early grant went to the Department of Photography at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, providing support to a field that was then represented by only one dedicated scientific research and teaching institution in Sweden. Photography became more visible in the foundation’s public work through the Hasselblad Center, opened in 1989 at the Gothenburg Museum of Art. Rune Hassner was the center’s first head, serving from 1988 to 1994. During this formative period, the center began building a collection with an emphasis on Nordic photography. The holdings and exhibitions developed around both established and emerging photographic practices, including documentary, artistic, nature, and socially engaged work. Photographers associated with the collection include Sune Jonsson, Christer Strömholm, Adriana Lestido, and Pål-Nils Nilsson. The center’s mission extends beyond exhibition-making. It supports photographic education through research projects, public lectures, seminars, and access to library and archival resources. The foundation’s research library opened in 1999, building on the substantial library donated by Hassner in 1998. This infrastructure made the institution useful not only to museum audiences but also to students and researchers working on the history, theory, and practice of photography. The foundation’s international profile has been especially shaped by its photography award. The first Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography was presented in 1980 to Lennart Nilsson for his work on medicine and nature. The prize subsequently recognized photographers from different generations and national traditions, including Ernst Haas, Édouard Boubat, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Robert Häusser, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Hiroshi Hamaya, William Klein, Sebastião Salgado, Susan Meiselas, and Boris Mikhailov. The award is connected to an exhibition at the Hasselblad Center and to publication activity, allowing each laureate’s work to circulate beyond the initial ceremony. Alongside the annual award, the foundation developed a network of stipends and fellowships. The Grez-sur-Loing stipend, awarded since 1994, provides a residency opportunity for Scandinavian photographers or Scandinavian photographers working internationally. The Victor Fellowships, introduced in 2004, support continuing professional and artistic development outside the Nordic region, with fellowships associated with the United Kingdom and New York. Other programs include the San Michele stipend for Swedish photographers, a nature-photography stipend established with Vårgårda Photo Club, and postdoctoral support for academic work in photography. The foundation has also continued its scientific mission through competitive grants for natural-science projects, stipends for scientists, and a visiting professorship intended to bring international expertise to Swedish institutions. These programs operate alongside, rather than as a subdivision of, the photography work. Together they preserve the distinctive balance established by Victor Hasselblad’s bequest: support for scientific advancement combined with sustained investment in photography as an artistic, educational, and research discipline.

• 2004

  Victor Fellowships introduced

  [1]Hasselblad Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The foundation establishes the Victor Fellowships to support professional and artistic development outside the Nordic region.

• 1999

  Research library opens

  [1]Hasselblad Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The Hasselblad Foundation’s research library opens, providing resources for students and researchers in photography.

• 1998

  Rune Hassner donates his photography library

  [1]Hasselblad Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Rune Hassner donates his extensive personal library to support the foundation’s future research resources.

• 1994

  Grez-sur-Loing stipend begins

  [1]Hasselblad Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The foundation begins awarding the Grez-sur-Loing stipend, providing a residency opportunity near Fontainebleau for Scandinavian photographers or Scandinavian photographers working abroad.

• 1989

  Hasselblad Center opens

  [1]Hasselblad Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The foundation’s photography center opens in Gothenburg, expanding its exhibition, education, research, and collection activities.

• 1988

  Rune Hassner becomes first head of the Hasselblad Center

  [1]Hasselblad Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Rune Hassner leads the center during its formative period and helps initiate a collection focused substantially on Nordic photography.

• 1980

  First international photography award presented

  [1]Hasselblad Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Lennart Nilsson becomes the first recipient of the Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography, recognized for photography concerning medicine and nature.

• 1979

  Foundation established

  [1]Hasselblad Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The Erna and Victor Hasselblad Foundation is established in Gothenburg as an independent, not-for-profit foundation promoting natural-science research, academic teaching, and photography.

• 1978

  Victor Hasselblad dies and leaves a scientific and photographic legacy

  [1]Hasselblad Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  After Victor Hasselblad’s death, it became publicly known that part of his fortune was intended to support major scientific awards and related educational and research activity.

An independent Swedish cultural and academic foundation positioned at the intersection of photography, scientific research, education, and international exchange.

• Photography award · 1980

  Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography

  The foundation’s principal international photography award recognizes a photographer for major achievements. The award is accompanied by presentation of the recipient’s work at the Hasselblad Center and publication activity, helping document and disseminate the laureate’s contribution to photographic culture.

• Photography exhibition and research center · 1989

  Hasselblad Center

  Opened in 1989, the Hasselblad Center presents Swedish and international photography and supports education through exhibitions, seminars, lectures, research projects, library resources, and archives. Its collection has a strong Nordic focus and connects public programming with scholarly work.

• Arts fellowships and grants · 1994

  Photography fellowships and stipends

  The foundation supports photographers through several programs, including the Victor Fellowships, the Grez-sur-Loing stipend, the San Michele stipend, a nature-photography stipend, and postdoctoral support in photography. Together, these programs address artistic development, international residency, nature photography, and academic research.

• Scientific research funding · 1979

  Natural-science grants and academic support

  In accordance with Victor Hasselblad’s bequest, the foundation funds research projects, science stipends, and a visiting professorship in the natural sciences. These activities are separate from the photography programs but form an equally important part of the foundation’s founding purpose.

1. 1Hasselblad Foundationen.wikipedia.org