Hans Rooseboom

1. Mattie Boom
2. Hans Rooseboom

American Photography

A unique overview of American photography from 1839 to the present day With accompanying exhibition American Photography in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (7 February – 9 June 2025) With work of world famous photographers including Robert Frank, Andres Serrano, Nan Goldin, Andy Warhol, Diane Arbus, Dawoud Bey, Carleton Watkins and Paul Strand America is by far the most important and influential country in photography. Since its invention in 1839, photography has become deeply embedded in American society - no other country showcases the medium as widely, visibly or influentially. American Photography captures this connection through over 280 images, portraying American life through the lenses of renowned photographers such as Robert Frank, Andres Serrano, Nan Goldin, Andy Warhol, Diane Arbus, Dawoud Bey, Carleton Watkins and Paul Strand. But true to the best Rijksmuseum tradition, the book does not dutifully adhere to the classical canon. Instead, it also features many lesser-known images – ranging from early advertising photographs to photographs for private use - that are nonetheless stunning and surprisingly powerful, offering a fresh, renewed perspective on American photography. This story of American photography is told through the Rijksmuseum’s outstanding collection, enriched by international loans from prestigious institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Philadelphia Museum of Art; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Art Institute of Chicago and National Gallery of Art, Washington.

1. Mattie Boom
2. Hans Rooseboom

Feest. Ed van der Elsken

Rond 1960 stelde Ed van der Elsken (1925-1990) een fotoboek samen rond het thema feest. Hij putte uit oud en nieuw werk en maakte een ontwerp dat een aaneenschakeling is van feestelijke gebeurtenissen: plezier, gejuich, dans, muziek, kermis, carnaval, opwinding en extase, maar ook dronkenschap en uitputting in de late uurtjes. Hij combineerde de afzonderlijke foto’s tot sprankelende en ritmische paren, waardoor het plezier van de pagina’s afspat. Om onbekende redenen is het ontwerp destijds op de plank blijven liggen. Het ontwerp voor feest was een van de grote verrassingen in Van der Elskens nalatenschap die het Rijksmuseum en het Nederlands Fotomuseum in 2019 verwierven. Zestig jaar nadat de fotograaf met schaar en plakband aan het ontwerp werkte, is het levendige boek nu alsnog uitgegeven op het formaat dat hem voor ogen stond.

1. Mattie Boom
2. Hans Rooseboom

Modern Times

1. Mattie Boom
2. Hans Rooseboom

Feest. Ed van der Elsken

Around 1960, Ed van der Elsken (1925-1990) put together a photobook on the theme of feest (feast). Drawing from both old and new work, he produced a design that is a sequence of festive occasions: fun, celebration, dancing, music, fairs, carnivals, excitement and euphoria, but also drunkenness and exhaustion in the wee hours. He combined the individual photographs into sparkling and rhythmical pairings, so that a genuine sense of joy emanates from the pages. At the time, for reasons unknown, the design was left on the shelf. The design for feest was one of the great surprises in Van der Elsken’s legacy, which was acquired by the Rijksmuseum and the Nederlands Fotomuseum in 2019. Now, sixty years after the photographer worked on the design with scissors and tape, this lively book is being published after all, in the format he had in mind.