Erwin Olaf

Photographer of excellence, and among the most appreciated in the contemporary art scene, the Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf (1959) is to be considered one of the greatest interpreters of modern portrait photography: he is known all over the world for a photographic style dominated by mysterious and contemplative atmospheres, for his mise en scène and theatrical compositions.

In his shots Olaf weaves complex and dramatic narratives. His works are striking in their strangeness, their will to provoke, their sense of solitude and restlessness: they catch glimpses of truth, which reveal the imperfection and the fictitious nature of an apparently perfect world.

This rich catalogue represents a journey through the artist's entire production, offering a complete overview of his work: from the beginning with Chessmen, the series that made him internationally famous, awarded at the Young European Photographer competition in 1988, up to the recent Palm Springs project (2018). The volume includes a critical text by Walter Guadagnini and a conversation with the artist.

About the Authors:

Erwin Olaf (born in Hilversum, the Netherlands, 1959) is a Dutch photographer known for his highly stylized, daring, and often provocative work addressing social issues and taboos. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Johannes Vermeer Award (2011), a Lucie Award (2008), and Photographer of the Year in the International Color Awards (2006). Among other accolades, Olaf received the commission to design the new national side of the Dutch Euro, launched in 2013. In 2008 and 2014 Aperture published volumes one and two of Olaf’s self-titled monographs.

Mattie Boom is curator of photography at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, specializing in international nineteenth- and twentieth-century photography. She is cofounder of the Nederlands Fotogenootschap.

Francis Hodgson is professor in the culture of photography at the University of Brighton, UK, and cofounder of the Prix Pictet. He was previously the photography critic of the Financial Times and head of the photographs department at Sotheby’s.

W. M. Hunt is a longtime photography collector and former art dealer who represented Erwin Olaf in the United States for many years. He is also a writer and teacher based in New York.

Laura Stamps is curator of modern and contemporary art at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague. She is an art history graduate of the University of Amsterdam and, amongst others, a member of the Work Field Commission at the Master Artistic Research program, Royal Academy of Art, The Hague.

Wim van Sinderen is a founding member and senior curator of the Fotomuseum Den Haag, The Hague, as well as keeper of the photography collection of Gemeente-museum Den Haag. He is, amongst others, guest curator for the Rencontres d’Arles and nominator for the Prix Pictet.