Clara Gutsche

Clara Gutsche's photographic journey began in 1970, when she relocated to Montreal from the Midwest, purchasing a 35mm camera and photographing her neighbourhood. Initially, she used the medium to map and understand her new city. In less than two years' time, she had switched to a 4x5 view camera, whose format would define her artistic style in the following decades. Gutsche's work often explores personal relationships, urban landscapes, architecture and cultural values. In her words, "Whether I photograph people or uninhabited spaces, I attempt to map the inner landscape of emotions as well as describe specific places." 

Her notable series include Milton Park (1970–73), which aimed to save a threatened Montreal neighborhood; Convents (1990–2009), a deep dive into communities of nuns in Quebec; and documentation of the construction of Montreal's Canadian Centre for Architecture, founded by Phyllis Lambert.

Published with Scotiabank Photography Award, Toronto.

Phyllis Lambert, Tanya Southcott, Nicolas Mavrikakis

Steidl, 2025

31 X 25 cm, 244 pages