Stockholm - Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide cited as one of the most "influential" photographers in Latin America was Thursday named winner of the 2008 Hasselblad Award. The international jury said Iturbide had during the past four decades been one of Latin America's "most important and influential photographers," adding that her work was of "the highest visual strength and beauty."
The award worth 500,000 kronor (80,000 dollars) was to be presented along with a gold medal on October 25 at a ceremony in the west coast city of Gothenburg.
An exhibition on her work would also open at the Hasselblad Centre.
Iturbide's photographic style was based on her "strong interest in culture, ritual and everyday life in her native Mexico and other countries," the jury said.
Her career began 1969 when studied filmmaking at the National University of Mexico where she met Manuel Alvarez Bravo, and he offered her a job as a photographic assistant.
She staged her first exhibition in 1975 in Mexico City and has since had exhibitions at museums and galleries around the world, as well as several books.
The Hasselblad Centre and award were named after Victor Hasselblad (1906-1978) who invented the Hasselblad cameras that have been used in NASA space programmes and by a number of famed photographers.
Former Hasselblad Award winners include Robert Frank, Josef Koudelka, Richard Avedon, Sebastiao Salgado, Hiroshi Hamaya, Susan Meiselas, Ernst Haas, Irving Penn, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Ansel Adams, and Lennart Nilsson. The 2006 winner was South African David Goldblatt and last year it was awarded Nan Goldin of the United States.
More information on: www.hasselbladfoundation.org.
