Hildegard Ochse

Life and work

Ochse was born in 1935 in Bad Salzuflen, Germany, the daughter of Dr. phil. Emma Maria Römer-Krusemeyer and Arthur Peter Maria Römer. In 1952 she traveled to the USA on a student exchange to Rochester, returning to Germany 1953 with a Senior High School Diploma form Nazareth Academy. After she finished her general qualification for university entrance 1955 in Bad Salzuflen, she studied Roman language and art history at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg. In 1958 she married Dr. phil. Prof. Horst Ochse (1927-2014), later giving birth to four children. In 1973 the family moved to West Berlin and lived in Berlin-Steglitz.

In 1975 she began to educate herself as a photographer. In 1976 she became a student of the "Werkstatt für Fotografie" founded by the Photographer Michael Schmidt. Later she attended several photo workshops given by Lewis Baltz, John Gossage and Larry Fink and the German photographer André Gelpke. From 1978 she taught photography at the Landesbildstelle and teacher training college in Berlin. From 1981 she began working as freelancer in Berlin.

She had several exhibitions in Berlin and Italy, and part of her collection was held by the Berlinische Galerie in Berlin and at the Universitá di Parma, Centro studi, dip. Fotografia and private collections.

In 1995 Ochse was diagnosed with leukaemia. Despite several rounds of chemotherapy, she never recovered, and died in July 1997 in Berlin at the age of 61. She was survived by her husband, four children Adrian, Katharina, Caroline, Benjamin and five grandchildren.

Publishing rights for most of Hildegard Ochse's photographs are now handled by her son Benjamin Ochse and the Prussian Heritage Image Archive.

Notable works

Exhibitions