Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Camera in Love
Camera in Love
Camera in Love
PRESTEL
Munich • London • New York
Self-portrait with Anneke Hilhorst, Edam, c. 1973. Courtesy Ed van der Elsken Estate
7 Preface
Beatrix Ruf
Marta Gili
9 Biography
63 Paris
89 Love on the Left Bank
121 Bagara
143 Jazz
157 Sweet Life
191 Amsterdam
227 Eye Love You
245 Japan
7
films by van der Elsken. We also extend
our thanks to the NOS/NTR for permission
to show the documentary by Jan Bosdriesz,
and to the private collectors in Amsterdam
and Edam have also made some unique
material available for the exhibition.
Beatrix Ruf
Director, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
Marta Gili
Director, Jeu de Paume, Paris
8
Biography
1944 During the last winter of the occupation
the northern Netherlands suffers huge
shortages of food and fuel. Twenty thou-
sand people die as a result.
1925 Ed van der Elsken is born in Amsterdam A group of photographers, including Emmy
on 10 March 1925. A year later his mother Andriesse, Cas Oorthuys, Carel Blazer and
Huberta Johanna Gijsberdina Pardoel and Ad Windig, document the impact of the
father Eduard van der Elsken and their “hunger winter” and the occupation in
three children move to Betondorp, a newly Amsterdam. They are referred to as De
built garden suburb on the outskirts of Ondergedoken Camera (The Underground
Amsterdam. It is here that Ed van der Camera). The same group establishes the
Elsken spends his youth. photography section of the Gebonden
Kunsten federatie (Association of
Practitioners of the Applied Arts, or GKf) in
1945.
1950 Van der Elsken moves to Oudezijds 1953 Van der Elsken comes into contact with
Achterburgwal 64 in Amsterdam. He Edward Steichen, curator of photography
becomes depressed after his engagement at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in
to a fellow student is broken off. He New York. Steichen selects eighteen pho-
decides to go to Paris, like many other tos by van der Elsken for the exhibition
artists, writers and poets who left for the Postwar European Photography (1953)
French capital after the war, including and one for the exhibition The Family of
painter Karel Appel and writers Rudy Man (1955). On Steichen’s advice, van der
Kousbroek, Remco Campert and Simon Elsken starts work on a book of photos of
Vinkenoog, whom van der Elsken meets in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
the city.
Edward Steichen and Ata Kandó, Paris, 1953
Karel Appel and one of Ata Kandó’s daughters in the children’s
room on Achtergracht, Amsterdam, 1955
The Netherlands is hit by a severe storm
on the night of 31 January. Van der Elsken Van der Elsken’s first solo exhibition,
is one of the photographers who takes featuring sixty-two of his photographs,
pictures of the great flood of 1953 for the takes place at the Art Institute of Chicago
photobook De ramp (The Disaster), pub- from 10 May to 1 July. It then moves to the
lished by De Bezige Bij. Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.
1954 Ata Kandó and Ed van der Elsken marry in Youth culture is in the ascendant. Many
Sèvres, just outside Paris, on 26 June. adolescents no longer feel bound by con-
ventional norms. They hang out in the
Love on the Left Bank is published in four streets, listen to jazz, dance to rock ’n’ roll
parts in the British magazine Picture Post and watch American films. In Germany
and in the Dutch magazine Wereldkroniek. they are often referred to as Halbstarken
(literally “half-strongs”, the German equiva
lent of beatniks). In the Netherlands, Jan
Vrijman and van der Elsken decide to
document this new youth culture. Their
article “De nozems van de Nieuwendijk” in
the magazine Vrij Nederland introduces
the word nozem (used to denote a Dutch
Teddy boy) to the Netherlands. They are
the first example of what will later be
called youth culture, assertive youngsters
who hang around in the streets, often
dressed in leather jackets or suit jackets,
their hair greased into a quiff. Thanks to a
television broadcast on his Saint-Germain-
des-Prés photographs, van der Elsken
meets television director Leen Timp and
becomes interested in film. Shortly after-
wards he makes his first 16mm film with
Jan Vrijman, about CERN (Conseil
Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire) in
Geneva.
Self-portrait on the street with Vali Myers, Paris, 1952
11 Biography
First television broadcast on Love on the Left Bank, 1 March 1955,
Venster, AVRO
Demonstration against the Soviet invasion of Hungary,
Amsterdam, 1956
13 Biography
and starts making more films. In 1961 he
makes De Appel-iep (The Appel Elm), a
short film about a tree stump Karel Appel
painted in his studio and that is placed in
Amsterdam’s Vondelpark, and Karel Appel,
componist (Karel Appel, Composer).
1960 Members of Zengakuren, a communist/ Museum visitors viewing La veuve du coureur
anarchist student organization, demon- (The Rider’s Widow) by Robert Müller at Bewogen
beweging, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, 1961
strate in Japan in the early 1960s. They
protest among other things against the
American occupation of Vietnam. Van der On his own initiative he makes the film
Elsken photographs their demonstrations Bewogen beweging (Moving Motion) fea-
in Japan. turing the innovative exhibition of kinetic
art at the Stedelijk Museum, including
Ed van der Elsken and Gerda van der Veen work by Jean Tinguely. He also makes a
return from their world trip; their ship series of photographs of the exhibition.
docks in Rotterdam.
Tinelou, Ed and Gerda’s first child, is born
on 12 June. The name Tinelou is based on
Tinguely, whom Gerda greatly admires.
Van der Elsken remains in close contact
with Tinguely.
15 Biography
Wim Crouwel. It takes the form of a hap-
pening: the entrance hall is covered
entirely in photographs and visitors have
to walk across a large picture of a naked
woman to enter the galleries. In response
to the exhibition van der Elsken is commis-
sioned to produce photo-reportages for
glossy magazine Avenue.
The entrance to the exhibition Hee… zie je dat?, 1972 Van der Elsken travels to Chile for Avenue.
Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, 1966. Photo: J. Mud Later that year he goes to Italy to see Vali
Myers, his one-time muse and the main
character in Love on the Left Bank. In the
Hee… zie je dat? (Hey… Did You See film Death in the Port Jackson Hotel she
That?), a solo exhibition by Ed van der reflects on their time in Paris.
Elsken, is held at the Stedelijk Museum
Amsterdam from 8 September to 1973 Ed van der Elsken and Gerda van der Veen
23 October. The exhibition is designed by divorce on 25 June. He meets Anneke
17 Biography
1981 Second part of the film Welkom in het Amsterdam. Van der Elsken takes pictures
leven, lieve kleine (Welcome to Life, Little of the artists, which he will publish shortly
One; approx. 80 min., broadcast by VPRO afterwards in a book entitled Are You
on 24 January 1982), featuring his children Famous?
as they grow up.
1985 Elsken: Paris 1950–1954 is published by
Parijs! Foto’s 1950–1954, published by Bert Libroport Co. Ltd of Tokyo.
Bakker of Amsterdam, is based on a selec-
tion from his archive of photographs from
his Paris period.
The 491 photo group preparing the ELSKEN exhibition, Tokyo, 1986
1983 “Ed’s Amsterdam” column in Het Parool The photobook De ontdekking van Japan
newspaper. (The Discovery of Japan) is published by
the Fragment publishing house in
The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam buys Amsterdam. After fifteen trips to Japan
177 original vintage prints from Love on van der Elsken selects photos that high-
the Left Bank. light his fascination for the Land of the
Rising Sun, with its mix of traditional
Leiden University purchases the original values and customs and a lifestyle influ-
copies of the book Sweet Life for its print enced by Western capitalism.
collection.
Van der Elsken receives the David Roëll
1984 Ed van der Elsken marries Anneke Hilhorst Prize for lifetime achievement.
on 8 March.
Having been commissioned by Japanese
La Grande Parade, director Edy de Wilde’s publisher Orion Literary Agency, van der
final exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum Elsken starts work on a book about Korea.
19 Biography
Chez Moineau, Rue du Four, Paris, 1953
20
“Collecting my kind of
1 Ed van der Elsken, typed letter
to Colin Naylor, 2 April 1986.
Ed van der Elsken Archive,
Nederlands Fotomuseum,
people”
Rotterdam, inv. no. 029000365
(Cor 21).
2 Rhodia notepad, undated
(1951?). Ed van der Elsken
Archive, Nederlands
Hripsimé Visser Fotomuseum, Rotterdam, inv.
no. 029000375 (Doc 1).
“Always I have been designing equipment verliefde camera (The Infatuated Camera,
to ‘catch life as completely as possible’. 1971). On the street, he set his sights on
My ideal would have been to have a tiny people he thought were beautiful or
camera built inside my head with a lens unusual, and he challenged them with a
sticking out and recording ‘artistically’ glance, a witty comment, a gesture.
twenty four hours a day. I am coming To van der Elsken, contact was an essen-
rather close now with lightweight video tial prerequisite for a picture. What he
equipment (I have not yet had my head then did with his “catch” was at least as
operation.) And now, while I am sixty-one important, and related to another aspect
years old, comes the doubt about this of technique he loved: montage. Ed van
recording everything all the time. And I der Elsken not only made photos and
may go back to the way in which I worked films that still appeal to us today, he
in the beginning: walking the streets with above all created dramatic, funny and
one little camera, three rolls of film, no moving narratives – books, films and slide
assignments, collecting my kind of peo- shows/audiovisuals – in which images are
ple.”1 This is Ed van der Elsken: a man linked in exciting and dynamic ways.
with an urgent desire to grasp life, a During preliminary research for this
generous dose of humour, plagued by exhibition it became clear to me once
healthy doubts, experiencing a slight more how important technique and mon-
sense of nostalgia as he looks back on the tage were for Ed van der Elsken, and
beginning of his career. Above all, how- above all how freely, individually and
ever, he was a man obsessed by tech- experimentally he used them. He created
nique. Techniques which allowed him to strong images that are unmistakably of
“catch life”, which gave him autonomy their time, and yet also timeless. Some of
and which he could use to amass his his books are almost iconic. His films
“own” special collection. All his equip- have been rediscovered in the past couple
ment served that one purpose. of decades, and his audiovisuals restored.
His work is dynamic and open, quint
“Collecting my kind of people”: this state- essentially twentieth century and yet as
ment reaffirms the predominant image of topical as the day it was made.
van der Elsken’s work as an egodocu-
ment. Not only did he often film and
photograph himself, his family and those Staged
around him, he also sought in other peo-
ple, in the many countries he travelled to, Ed van der Elsken’s career spanned more
the properties he attributed to himself, than forty years. It began in his birth-
which he identified with, chief among place, Amsterdam, in the late 1940s, but
them being authenticity and pride. In his really got going in Paris in summer 1950.
early work he observed people on the “Ed van der Elsken, 12 Rue Guisarde
street cautiously, from a distance. Yet he Paris, idées photos” he once scrawled on
soon developed a strategy, a way of a tatty Rhodia notepad.2 It most probably
working, that he described using the dates from 1951. The young photographer
somewhat aggressively masculine meta- had been in Paris for a while, like many
phor of the “hunt”. But although he was other Dutch artists who had been
certainly neither modest nor wary in his drawn to the metropolis in their desire
work, his cameras were far from deadly to escape the narrow-minded gloom of
weapons and his pictures were generally post-war Holland. He resigned his job
the result of an interaction. It is no coin with the Pictorial Service photo laboratory,
cidence that one of his books is called Eye where he had spent six months printing
Love You (1977), and one of his films De work by Magnum photographers like
21
UNVERKÄUFLICHE LESEPROBE
Prestel
Ed van der Elsken gilt als einer der wichtigsten niederländischen Fotografen und Filmemacher.
Kurz nachdem er Ende der 1940er-Jahre zu fotografieren begann, zog er nach Paris und
geriet in den Bann der Bohème von Saint-Germain-de-Prés. Seine authentischen Fotografien
vom Leben auf der Straße sprühen vor Lebenslust, nehmen jedoch auch die Probleme
und Abgründe der damaligen Zeit ins Visier. Bis heute faszinieren seine Aufnahmen durch
unkonventionelle Technik und Schnappschuss-Ästhetik. Seine mehr als 20 Fotobücher und
seine Filme hatten einen starken Einfluss auf den Stil von nachkommenden Generationen
renommierter Fotografen wie Larry Clark, Nan Goldin, oder Wolfgang Tillmans. Dieses Fotobuch
ist die bisher umfassendste Übersicht über das Werk von Ed van der Elsken und es begleitet die
bislang größte Retrospektive des Fotografen und Filmemachers.