Exhibition Overview
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is hosting Ed van der Elsken Up Close, a major retrospective of the Dutch photographer Ed van der Elsken (1925–1990), running until 13 September 2026. The exhibition features approximately 8,000 prints – the largest group of photographs by a single person ever added to the museum's collection. According to the Rijksmuseum, the decision was justified by the work's quality, historical significance and social relevance.
Van der Elsken's Philosophy on Color Photography
Van der Elsken believed that mastering color was the sign of a truly skilled artist. He argued that color photography required a different approach: 'I often say that in colour photography you have to expose yourself, to show you can make good, significant photographs without trickery. I know this because I did the same thing myself 20 years ago, making gloomy, dark-skied, high-contrast prints, and because those techniques are used willy-nilly for cheap effect, I take a devilish pleasure in puncturing those balloons.'
To him, color photography was a difficult trade with little margin for error, as the inability to manipulate prints in the darkroom demanded experience and an unfiltered depiction of reality. He stated: 'I think serious photographers will have to start working in colour too. It's there. Colour is in the world. But for a really good colour photograph, one that holds its own, you have to give everything you have to offer.'
Early Career and Paris Period
In the early 1950s, a young Van der Elsken stayed in Paris, photographing street culture. A 1954 publication described him as 'young, blond and French, with a somewhat timid, shy way of behaving. A man, still practically a boy, who had difficulty forming relationships, evidently because he had been too quick to trust life and people and, in his idealism, had been wounded too deeply.'
Upon returning to Amsterdam, the media portrayed him as a struggling artist. A 1955 article in Het Parool featured a self-portrait with his partner Ata Kandó reflected in a mirror, under the headline 'We will wait until this door opens,' referencing his professional impasse.
Organised Chaos: His Archive and Style
Van der Elsken's archives are described as 'organised chaos' – prints, contact sheets, dummies, letters, notes, and financial records kept loose in boxes with stamps and scribbles. He retained diaries, notebooks, and even Post-it notes from the 1950s until his death, forming a messy, multifarious, and humorous biography.
His photographs are equally unvarnished, showing boundless curiosity about the world, his fellow humans, and his own life and family. His captions were elaborate, personal, and informed about socio-economic circumstances, using chatty, frank, sometimes blunt colloquial language.
Later Years and Legacy
A period of marital strife, divorce, depression, and soul-searching led Van der Elsken to move to the countryside near Edam in 1971, where he photographed and filmed his surroundings down to a microscopic level. This introspection eventually gave way to renewed engagement with city life in the 1980s.
Most photographers in the Rijksmuseum collection are represented by just one or a few photographs, but Van der Elsken's exceptional acquisition of 8,000 prints underscores his influence. His photo books and photojournalism reached a wide audience, and his blunt, cheerful audacity remains manifest in his pioneering color work.
