The Dutch Photobook

The Dutch photobook is internationally acclaimed for its close collaboration between photographer, printer, and designer. The current photobook boom in the Netherlands stems from a tradition of excellence that predates World War II.

The postwar years marked a period of particularly strong collaboration, resulting in iconic works such as Ed van der Elsken's Love on the Left Bank (1956) and Koen Wessing's Chili, September 1973 (1973). Innovations like the photo novel and company photobook flourished in the 1950s and 60s, with later genres emerging, including conceptual, documentary, youth culture, urbanism, landscape photobooks, and travelogues.

The Dutch Photobook explores these genres across six chapters, featuring over 100 photobooks, including landmark works like Hans Aarsman's Hollandse taferelen (1989), Jacqueline Hassink's The Table of Power (1996), Geert van Kesteren's Why Mister Why (2006), and Wassink Lundgren's Empty Bottles (2007). Dutch photo historians Frits Gierstberg and Rik Suermondt contribute essays on the genre's history and the collaboration between photographers and designers. Award-winning designer Joost Grootens adds unique charts and diagrams, visually mapping the Dutch photobook landscape.