David Goldblatt was born November 29, 1930 in the South African city Randfontein of the province Gauteng. His photographic career began at age eighteen when he began taking pictures. With parents and grandparents who fled Lithuania around 1890 to escape from religious persecution against Jews, Goldblatt found himself simultaneously a part of white society that saw itself as superior, and an object of racial and religious oppression; this may explain in part the subjects of his images, which explore and document the complexities of a particular historical moment in South Africa. Goldblatt was drawn to the gold mines near his hometown, which he photographed primarily in black and white; later, in the 1990s, he began to explore color photography. Besides contributing to many photographic exhibitions, Goldblatt has published many books, and has also produced films created from his still images.
From the guide to the David Goldblatt Photographs and Films, 1960-1976, (David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University)
