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Abbreviated version of the speech by Dr. Frits Gierstberg on the
occasion of the assumption of the office of Professor by special
appointment in Photography, in particular its social-historical and
documentary aspects, in the Faculty of Historical and Art Studies at
the Erasmus University Rotterdam, on Friday 11 May 2007.
Mister Rector Magnificus, Members of the Booard of Governors, Mister
Deacon, fellow professors, highly esteemed listeners; dear family and
friends,
The title of my oration is ‘Documentary photography in the age of visual culture'
It is a great honour that I may stand here today as the first Special
Professor in Photography in the Netherlands. It goes without saying
that this is an important moment for me personally, but it is also very
much a milestone in the history of photography in our country. In a
certain sense, the academic status granted to the study of photography
with the creation of this special chair marks the end of a long period
of struggle for the social, artistic and scientific recognition of the
field of study. At the same time it represents a new beginning. It is
true that photography has been a subject of academic study in our
country for many years already, but this chair will, I hope, have a
positive effect both within the academic world and outside it and
encourage many people, particularly students, to become absorbed in the
medium. This is necessary, since although the popularity of and public
interest in photography is increasing, the number of historians,
researchers, critics, writers, educators and exhibition makers is
lagging behind.
Read more: Full Dutch text of the oration by Frits Gierstberg as PDF file
May 2007
Frits Gierstberg (b. 1959) worked since 1993 as head of exhibitions at
the Nederlands Foto Instituut and has fulfilled the same function at
the Nederlands Fotomuseum since 2003. In the past years he organised a
large number of international exhibitions, symposia, lectures and
debates about photography. From 1 January 2006 he is also active as
Special Professor in Photography at Erasmus University, Rotterdam. In
‘Why photography?’ he discusses the role and function of photography.
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