To mark the 60th birthday of photographer Erwin Olaf, he and the Rijksmuseum’s director Taco Dibbits will present a selection of his iconic photographs. Olaf draws inspiration from the Old Masters, and this exhibition will see ten of his images hanging alongside ten paintings from the Rijksmuseum collection. Olaf’s work effortlessly bridges the gap between the 17th century and his own time; all artists have the same resources at their disposal: light and expressiveness.
The collection of Erwin Olaf has been acquired in part with the support of the Bankgiro Lottery.
Rijksmuseum welcomes the Erwin Olaf core collection
The Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf has entered the Rijksmuseum collection with a fully representative range of work spanning his entire career. The Rijksmuseum will be the recipient of a total of 500 objects. The vast majority are donations; 60 photographs and three videos have been acquired.
Taco Dibbits, director of the Rijksmuseum: Erwin Olaf is one of the most important photographers of the final quarter of the 20th century, and his work is deeply rooted in the visual traditions of Dutch art. We are therefore delighted and honoured to be able to add his work to the Rijksmuseum collection.
Erwin Olaf''s decision to transfer his core collection to the Rijksmuseum is motivated by his long relationship with the museum and the inspiration he draws from its collection, particularly the Old Masters.
Erwin Olaf: On a group trip to the Rijksmuseum during one of my final years of primary school, I was captivated by the museum and its collection. At the time, I was particularly transfixed by Rembrandt''s youthful self-portrait; later, there were many more.
The Erwin Olaf collection at the Rijksmuseum
The Rijksmuseum houses the national photo collection and already contained work by Erwin Olaf. The core collection includes early and recent work; self-portraits and portraits of figures such as Johan Cruijff; works from the series Chessmen, Mind of their Own, Paradise Grief, Hope, Dawn, Dusk and Berlin; portraits of Queen Maxima and other members of the Dutch royal family; and a selection of commissioned work for Dutch National Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, Bottega Veneta, Vogue, The New York Times and Diesel.
Exhibition in 2019
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag and Fotomuseum Den Haag will organise a double exhibition from February 16 to May 12 in 2019. In the summer of 2019 the Rijksmuseum will present a selection of iconic works by Olaf for which he drew inspiration from paintings by artists such as Rembrandt, Vermeer and Breitner. The exhibition will show how Olaf''s work manifests an unbroken line from early Dutch painting to the present day.
