Else Tholstrup

Else Tholstrup was born in Casablanca, Morocco, on 27 June 1929, and grew up in Denmark. After completing her schooling she began training as a photographer at the Andresen studio in Ordrup. She specialized in portrait and architectural photography. In 1949 she met Ati Gropius, the daughter of former Bauhaus director Walter Gropius, and her partner, the architect Charles Forberg. Inspired by this encounter, Tholstrup began studying photography at the Institute of Design in Chicago, the institutional heir to the Bauhaus in the US. There she was trained by Aaron Siskind, among others. While a student, she worked as a portrait photographer at Austen Field’s photo studio in Chicago. Around the same time, she met the photographer Arthur Siegel and began working for him. Tholstrup moved back to Denmark at the end of 1953. In 1954 she spent two months travelling across Europe with Ati Gropius and Arthur Siegel. Numerous photos were created. In the years that followed, she concentrated on architectural and object photography, primarily focusing on the work of Danish architects and designers. She additionally worked in the film industry. In 1957 Tholstrup documented the life of children in Sri Lanka. She also photographed the set of the film “The Bridge on the River Kwai” there. Tholstrup worked as a film-set photographer for Danish productions as well as a documentary photographer for archaeological exhibition projects until the 1990s. She also began teaching photography. Else Tholstrup died in Copenhagen on 12 March 2024.