Karen Knorr

Knorr, Karen (b. 1954), Puerto-Rican-born American photographer, resident in London. Her major photographic series Belgravia, Gentlemen, Country Life, Connoisseurs, and Capital (1979-92) depicted the English upper classes at home and in various institutional settings. Embodying a range of approaches, these works both interrogated and renewed notions of documentary. Interweaving different kinds of text (captions, titles, quotations) with various photographic genres (portraiture, still life, reportage), and inserting fiction, irony, and humour, Knorr's work has combined a conceptual approach rich in metaphor and allegory with sensuality and visual pleasure. Later works, such as Academies, also examined institutions.

— Jan-Erik Lundström