Daniel Blaufuks
Encyclopedia
Daniel Blaufuks is a Portuguese
photographer
, the grandson of Polish
and German
Ashkenazi Jews
who moved to Portugal in the late 1920s and 1930s. He moved to Germany in 1976 and returned to Portugal in 1983. He spent several years in the import business, which provide his first-and last-regular job. Blaufuks wanted to be a writer from early age, but lacked confidence in his ability.
He studied photography and started his free-lancing career at the weekly music newspaper Blitz, followed by the newspaper O Independente
and, later, Portuguese Marie Claire
and others. In 1989 he won the Portuguese Kodak
Award despite the fact he had to settle in court with the company. In 1996 he was among the first eight chosen for the European Photography Award.
In 1991 Daniel Blaufuks published, with Paul Bowles
, My Tangier, and in 1994 the London Diaries, followed by Ein Tag in Mostar
(1995) and Uma Viagem a S. Petersburgo
(1998). At one time or another, he lived in England
and the United States
and traveled in Europe
, India
, Russia
, Africa
and South America
.
As well as producing many exhibitions, Daniel Blaufuks directed several films and videos: Life is not a picnic (1998, a film without a story), Black and White (2000, the story of a girl who becomes color-blind), Under Strange Skies (2002, a documentary on the Jewish refugees in Lisbon
during and after the Second World War), Reversed Landscapes (2002, a film on Portuguese architecture
), and Slightly Smaller than Indiana (2006, a documentary about contemporary Portugal).
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
photographer
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, the grandson of Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
who moved to Portugal in the late 1920s and 1930s. He moved to Germany in 1976 and returned to Portugal in 1983. He spent several years in the import business, which provide his first-and last-regular job. Blaufuks wanted to be a writer from early age, but lacked confidence in his ability.
He studied photography and started his free-lancing career at the weekly music newspaper Blitz, followed by the newspaper O Independente
O Independente
O Independente was a Portuguese weekly newspaper, published on Fridays. It was founded in May 1988 by Miguel Esteves Cardoso, who became its first editor, and Paulo Portas, who succeeded him in 1990 and served until 1995, when he left to run for office as a conservative politician. Its last...
and, later, Portuguese Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Marie Claire is a monthly women's magazine first published in France but also distributed in other countries with editions specific to them and in their languages. While each country shares its own special voice with its audience, the United States edition focuses on women around the world and...
and others. In 1989 he won the Portuguese Kodak
Eastman Kodak
Eastman Kodak Company is a multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquarted in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1892....
Award despite the fact he had to settle in court with the company. In 1996 he was among the first eight chosen for the European Photography Award.
In 1991 Daniel Blaufuks published, with Paul Bowles
Paul Bowles
Paul Frederic Bowles was an American expatriate composer, author, and translator.Following a cultured middle-class upbringing in New York City, during which he displayed a talent for music and writing, Bowles pursued his education at the University of Virginia before making various trips to Paris...
, My Tangier, and in 1994 the London Diaries, followed by Ein Tag in Mostar
Mostar
Mostar is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the largest and one of the most important cities in the Herzegovina region and the center of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation. Mostar is situated on the Neretva river and is the fifth-largest city in the country...
(1995) and Uma Viagem a S. Petersburgo
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
(1998). At one time or another, he lived in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and traveled in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
As well as producing many exhibitions, Daniel Blaufuks directed several films and videos: Life is not a picnic (1998, a film without a story), Black and White (2000, the story of a girl who becomes color-blind), Under Strange Skies (2002, a documentary on the Jewish refugees in Lisbon
History of the Jews in Portugal
The history of the Jews in Portugal reaches back over two thousand years and is directly related to Sephardi history, a Jewish ethnic division that represents communities who have originated in the Iberian Peninsula .-Before Portugal:...
during and after the Second World War), Reversed Landscapes (2002, a film on Portuguese architecture
Architecture of Portugal
Architecture of Portugal refers to the architecture practised in the territory of present-day Portugal since before the foundation of the country in the 12th century...
), and Slightly Smaller than Indiana (2006, a documentary about contemporary Portugal).