Jan Adriaans en Job Janssen (c)
The Nederlands Fotomuseum annually organises exhibitions of and about
photography. Not only in its own exhibition galleries but also at other
locations. Old family photographs, well known news photos, exciting
scientific photographs or experimental photoworks by visual artists –
they are all to be seen in the museum of photography. Depending on the
nature or subject of the temporary exhibitions, activities are
launched, publications brought out, guided tours given and meetings
organised. There is thus always something to suit your taste, whether
you are a layman or expert, photography fan or imagemaker, hobbyist or
student.
fascinating
The Nederlands Fotomuseum also pays attention to less obvious sides of
photography. Of course you will regularly find photographs by young and
prominent Dutch photographers, but you will just as often encounter
photographs that are important because of their meaning in everyday
life. It is precisely this wide range of applications and
manifestations in which photography is encountered and used every day
that makes the medium so influential and fascinating.
debate
The use and ‘consumption’ of photography would seem to be self-evident
– ‘everyone can do it’. But hidden behind the constant stream of
photographic images are often complex developments. Photography is a
medium with artistic and aesthetic currents, technological innovations
and ideological and commercial interests. The museum of photography
analyses these developments, points out the connections between them,
makes them visible and brings them up for discussion. For these
reasons, the museum of photography devotes attention to theory and
discussion in its exhibitions, publications and activities. It also
looks at other media like video and film, and at what is termed ‘visual
culture’: all those forms of expression in which visual communication
plays a role.
passionate
The Nederlands Fotomuseum’s exhibitions feature not only the work of
individual photographers, but also contemporary or historical
developments within photography. Sometimes this may involve scholarly
research by art and photography historians, or an exhibition might be
based on a social theme with photographs being shown in relation to
magazines, posters and films, for example. It is also possible that an
exhibition is made by a passionate collector whose personal aesthetic
choices represent a refreshing point of departure.
vitality
The Nederlands Fotomuseum achieves this vitality by regularly inviting
people from both within and outside the professional field to put
together an exhibition and an accompanying catalogue. The museum of
photography moreover works together with museums, archives and other
institutions in the sphere of photography. As a result, there are often
photographs to be seen both from the museum’s own collection,
consisting of around a hundred archives of Dutch photographers, as well
as photographs on loan from other collections and archives.
remarkable photographs
The Nederlands Fotomuseum has moved to its new premises in Las Palmas
and now has almost two thousand square metres of exhibition space at
its disposal – more than three times as much as it had in the Witte de
Withstraat. Besides changing exhibitions there will also be
semi-permanent exhibitions organised around certain themes, ensuring
that you will always be able to see beautiful and remarkable
photographs from the rich history of photography in the Nederlands
Fotomuseum.
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