The Portuguese filmmaker Rui Xavier (b. Porto, 1974; lives and w orks in<br>Lisbon)<br>spent two years shadowing the world-renowned photographer Candida<br>Höfer (b. Eberswalde, 1944; lives and works in Cologne). Höfer, who studied<br>with Bernd and Hilla Becher at the Düsseldorf Academy of Arts, is known<br>for her haunting pictures of libraries, museums, theaters, and opera houses.<br>Xavier's film--a DVD is included with the book--shows the artist as she<br>takes pictures, works in the studio and at home, and prepares exhibitions in<br>far-flung locations including Düsseldorf, London, and São Paulo. Xavier has<br>created a dense and empathetic portrait of the artist; confident in the power<br>of his visuals, he has made a film without words. Reproductions of selected<br>major works by Candida Höfer that appear in the film, a note by her on working<br>with Rui Xavier, an introduction by Herbert Burkert, film stills, and an<br>essay by Xavier shed light on the background and the making of the film as<br>well as the artist's oeuvre.