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13 august 2024, Flor Linckens
Serendipitous moments and a sense of freedom: travel through the eyes of Ed van der Elsken, Bertien van Manen and Robby Müller
Ed van der Elsken, Mother and twins on bike, Edam (detail), 1975 | Robby Müller, Hotel Miramare, Sestri di Levante, 2 juni (detail), 1977 | Bertien van Manen, Iftsino, Masha (detail), 1991 | Annet Gelink Gallery
Until 8 September, Annet Gelink Gallery is presenting an online exhibition on GalleryViewer that celebrates the magic of road trips and summer journeys through the lenses of three photographers who themselves were seasoned travelers: Ed van der Elsken, Bertien van Manen and Robby Müller. The exhibition 'On the road again' offers a nostalgic escape into the essence of vacations and the journeys that lead to them, where serendipitous moments and the feeling of freedom — the very elements that make travel unforgettable — take center stage. Together, these photographers invite viewers to dream, and perhaps even to reminisce about past adventures.
Ed van der Elsken, Zandvoort, 2024, Annet Gelink Gallery
Ed van der Elsken became famous for his iconic ability to capture the small moments of life in a universally resonant way. Sometimes these were spontaneous moments, other times scenes he directed them on the spot. He was less concerned with photographic quality or the type of film he used — often buying rolls in small shops while traveling — and more with the authenticity of the moment he captured. Van der Elsken preferred to photograph on the streets, focusing on striking figures, and his travels took him across the globe. His work has been included in collections at the MoMA, Centre Pompidou, Museum Voorlinden, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art and the Rijksmuseum. In this exhibition, you’ll see small vignettes that evoke memories of your own childhood or a bygone era — like your sister riding with you on the back of your mother’s bicycle, a nudist beach in 1975, two surly seventies kids on a moped, or two kissing youngsters in Marseille. Through these images, he captures a world that, despite concerns about the future, especially after watching the news, always seems to make room for small moments of freedom and adventure.
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Bertien van Manen, Siberia - Lake Baïkal Camping, 1993, Annet Gelink Gallery
Bertien van Manen, who passed away earlier this year, was a storyteller who captured the beauty and complexity of human existence. Her photographs are distinguished by the genuine and personal connections she formed with her subjects, sometimes spending extended periods with them and exchanging letters and photos. Her intimate photos reveal the people behind stereotypes, focusing on the raw, unembellished reality and the humanity of her subjects. Van Manen traveled the world, documenting the lives of people in places like the Appalachians, Russia (and the former Soviet Union), Eastern Europe, the Sahara, Nicaragua, the United Kingdom and China. Because she often got to know her subjects, she could delve deeply into their essence, rendering her photos unpolished, informal and personal. Van Manen’s work is part of the collections of museums such as the MoMA, the Metropolitan Museum, SFMoMA, Huis Marseille, the Stedelijk Museum, the Rijksmuseum and the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography.
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Robby Müller, During 'Honeysuckle Rose', Austin, Texas, 1979, Annet Gelink Gallery
The photographs and Polaroids of master cinematographer Robby Müller were never originally intended to be viewed by a large audience; he took them during idle moments between filming. As it happens, British artist and director Steve McQueen remained friends with Müller and his wife after they collaborated on a project of McQueen's. They both lived in Amsterdam at the time, and when McQueen saw the collection of over 2,000 Polaroids, he immediately said, “Oh, you really have to do something with this.” Müller was an extraordinary cameraman who made more than seventy films with some of the greatest names in cinema, from Wim Wenders and Jim Jarmusch to Lars von Trier and the aforementioned Steve McQueen. He was the cinematographer for famous films such as Paris, Texas, Down By Law, Breaking the Waves, and Dancer in the Dark. He ended up making twelve films in total with Wenders. Müller received several international lifetime achievement awards for his film work and served as a juror at the Cannes Film Festival in 1988. Müller never left the house without a camera, preferring Polaroids because of their quick results. He frequently captured fleeting moments, even during filming days. Partly for his own pleasure, but also as a way to experiment with light, colour, shadow and composition. He especially loved photographing during the 'blue hour', when natural and artificial light coexist. Müller had a talent for finding beauty in the least promising places. His work as a cameraman also gave him unparalleled expertise in optimizing the triangular relationship between light, the photographer and the camera.
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