Pieter Hugo

(South African, born 1976)

Pieter Hugo is a contemporary South African artist whose work addresses issues of class, identity, violence, and privilege with photography. Hugo uses photography to document marginalized and downtrodden groups in regions of Africa, including Nigerian hyena tamers, albinos, and children who survived the 1994 Rwandan genocide. His artistic voice is fueled by his awareness of vestigial Apartheid—his white privilege providing him the ability to produce contemporary photography, while prohibiting him from ever accessing the experience of black Africans. “A lot of my inspiration is reactionary to images I see in the media. The Hyena Men started with a picture that someone took on a cell phone,” the artist has said of his subject matter. “Apparently he was an employee of a mobile phone network in Nigeria and he photographed them from a car window. The Nollywood series was made because while I was doing the hyena work everywhere in West Africa, every hotel I went to, every bar I went to, people were watching these movies.” Born on October 29, 1976 in Johannesburg, South Africa, Hugo first began work in the Cape Town film industry, before embarking on a career in art photography. The artist continues to live and work in Cape Town, South Africa. His works are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Pieter Hugo News

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Art & Exhibitions

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Pieter Hugo Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Pieter Hugo (224 results)
Mohammed Rabiu with Jamis, Ibusa, Nigeria, 2007

Pieter Hugo

Mohammed Rabiu with Jamis, Ibusa, Nigeria, 2007

Sale Date: March 9, 2022

Auction Closed

Motorbike Rider with Amiloo, Nigeria, 2005

Pieter Hugo

Motorbike Rider with Amiloo, Nigeria, 2005

Sale Date: October 21, 2021

Auction Closed

Ibrahim Sulley, Agbogbloshie Market, Accra,..., 2009

Pieter Hugo

Ibrahim Sulley, Agbogbloshie Market, Accra,..., 2009

Sale Date: October 20, 2021

Auction Closed

Al Hasan, Agbogbloshie Market, Accra, Ghana, , 2009

Pieter Hugo

Al Hasan, Agbogbloshie Market, Accra, Ghana, , 2009

Sale Date: October 20, 2021

Auction Closed

Portrait #7, Rwanda (from the series, 1994), , 2014

Pieter Hugo

Portrait #7, Rwanda (from the series, 1994), , 2014

Sale Date: October 6, 2021

Auction Closed

Loyiso Mayga, Wandise Ngcama, Lunga White,..., 2008

Pieter Hugo

Loyiso Mayga, Wandise Ngcama, Lunga White,..., 2008

Sale Date: October 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Vian Mthembu, Durban, South Africa

Pieter Hugo

Vian Mthembu, Durban, South Africa

Sale Date: July 11, 2021

Auction Closed

Sam, Klein Karoo, South Africa, 2003

Pieter Hugo

Sam, Klein Karoo, South Africa, 2003

Sale Date: July 11, 2021

Auction Closed

Nollywood, 2009

Pieter Hugo

Nollywood, 2009

Sale Date: June 24, 2021

Auction Closed

PERMANENT ERROR SERIES AISSAH SALIFU,..., 2010

Pieter Hugo

PERMANENT ERROR SERIES AISSAH SALIFU,..., 2010

Sale Date: June 17, 2021

Auction Closed

By die Strand, 2013

Pieter Hugo

By die Strand, 2013

Sale Date: June 7, 2021

Auction Closed

The Hyena Men of Abuja, Lagos, Nigeria from..., 2007

Pieter Hugo

The Hyena Men of Abuja, Lagos, Nigeria from..., 2007

Sale Date: May 20, 2021

Auction Closed

Trasi Henen, 2011

Pieter Hugo

Trasi Henen, 2011

Sale Date: May 17, 2021

Auction Closed

Mallam Mantari Lamal with Mainasara, Abuja,..., 2005

Pieter Hugo

Mallam Mantari Lamal with Mainasara, Abuja,..., 2005

Sale Date: May 17, 2021

Auction Closed

Vanessa Inggs, 2012

Pieter Hugo

Vanessa Inggs, 2012

Sale Date: May 17, 2021

Auction Closed

Mallam Umaru Ahmadu with Amita, Abuja,..., 2005

Pieter Hugo

Mallam Umaru Ahmadu with Amita, Abuja,..., 2005

Sale Date: May 17, 2021

Auction Closed

Animal Handler with Ajasco, Lagos, Nigeria, 2007

Pieter Hugo

Animal Handler with Ajasco, Lagos, Nigeria, 2007

Sale Date: April 29, 2021

Auction Closed

Abdullahi Mohammad with Mainasara, Lagos,..., 2007

Pieter Hugo

Abdullahi Mohammad with Mainasara, Lagos,..., 2007

Sale Date: April 22, 2021

Auction Closed

Danielle Lawrence, United Kingdom, 2003

Pieter Hugo

Danielle Lawrence, United Kingdom, 2003

Sale Date: April 20, 2021

Auction Closed

Mallam Galadima Ahmadu with Jamis and Mallam , 2005

Pieter Hugo

Mallam Galadima Ahmadu with Jamis and Mallam , 2005

Sale Date: April 13, 2021

Auction Closed

The Hyena Men of Abuja, Nigeria, 2005, 2005

Pieter Hugo

The Hyena Men of Abuja, Nigeria, 2005, 2005

Sale Date: April 13, 2021

Auction Closed

Abdullahi Mohammed with Mainasara,..., 2007

Pieter Hugo

Abdullahi Mohammed with Mainasara,..., 2007

Sale Date: March 29, 2021

Auction Closed

Mallam Umaru Ahmadu with Amita, Abuja,..., 2005

Pieter Hugo

Mallam Umaru Ahmadu with Amita, Abuja,..., 2005

Sale Date: March 31, 2021

Auction Closed

From the series

Pieter Hugo

From the series "Flat Noodle Soup Talk", 2016

Sale Date: February 9, 2021

Auction Closed

English (US)

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