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‘He’d been wounded deeply’: the wild photographic life of Ed van der Elsken
The Dutch photographer believed mastering colour was the sign of a truly skilled artist – and pioneered an influential style best described as ‘organised chaos’
TL;DR
- Ed van der Elsken (1925–1990) was a prominent and influential Dutch postwar photographer with a career spanning over 40 years.
- His work, including photo books and photojournalism, reached a wide audience and was characterized by bluntness, audacity, and boundless curiosity.
- Van der Elsken spent time in Paris in the early 1950s, photographing street culture.
- He believed that mastering color photography was essential for serious photographers, viewing it as a difficult but honest medium.
- His personal archives, described as 'organized chaos,' contained a vast collection of prints, notes, letters, and financial records.
- The Rijksmuseum acquired approximately 8,000 of his prints, the largest single-artist collection in its history.
- Van der Elsken's work is noted for its empathy, engagement, and personal, colloquial commentary on socio-economic circumstances.