Zofia Rydet

Zofia Rydet (May 5, 1911 – August 24, 1997) was a Polish photographer, best known for her project "Sociological Record", which aimed to document every household in Poland. She began working on "Sociological Record" in 1978 at the age of 67, and took nearly 20,000 pictures until her death in 1997. Many of the pictures remain undeveloped. The photographs are predominantly portraits of children, men, women, couples, families and the elderly amidst their belongings. Rydet tended to photograph her subjects straight-on, using a wide-angle lens and a flash.

Early life and education Rydet was born in Stanisławów. She attended the Główna Szkoła Gospodarcza Żeńska in Snopków. As a young woman she had a number of occupations such as working for the Orbis Polish Travel Office and running a stationery shop.

In 1965 the works in this exhibition were collected into a book edited by Wojciech Zamecznik. In 1976, Rydet was awarded the Excellence de la Fédération Internationale de l´Art Photographique (EFIAP).

During the final years of her life, because she was too weak to travel with her camera, Rydet turned to photographic collage as a medium, and modified her photographs by cutting them up and adding buttons, fabric, and dried flowers.

Rydet died in Gliwice on August 24, 1997. and the Jeu de Paume, Château de Tours.

Collections Rydet's work is held in the following permanent collections: Museum of Modern Art, New York Art Institute of Chicago Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto