Foam presents Meet the Artist, an exhibition that offers a special insight into the life and career of one of the Netherlands' leading portrait photographers: Koos Breukel. This exhibition not only offers an overview of his impressive oeuvre, but also invites visitors to meet the artist himself and engage in conversation with him. In a specially equipped photo studio within the exhibition, there is even the possibility to be photographed by Breukel himself.
The exhibition features mostly artist portraits that represent a cross-section of Breukel's career, from 1982 to the present. His photographs are known for their ability to capture the everyday and the coincidental, with attention to vulnerability and authenticity. His portraits are often shot with analogue cameras and have a timeless and pure appearance. Thanks to Breukel's empathetic approach and the creation of an atmosphere of mutual trust, his subjects dare to be vulnerable, which is reflected in the photos.
Meet the Artist highlights the people who have played an important role in Breukel’s development as a photographer and person. Portraits of influential figures such as Robert Frank, Ata Kandó, Ed van der Elsken, and Marlene Dumas, show his sources of inspiration and the people who shaped him.
A special aspect of the exhibition is the active presence of Koos Breukel himself. During the entire exhibition period, he will be present for four days a week in his photo studio in the exhibition, where visitors can discuss his work, inspiration and his vision on photography with him. There is even a chance to be photographed by Breukel personally and thus become part of his artistic process. The exhibition is an invitation to experience Koos Breukel and his creative world up close.
About the artist
Koos Breukel (1962, The Hague) is a leading Dutch portrait photographer. After studying at the School for Photography and Photonics in The Hague, he established himself as a freelance photographer in Amsterdam, where he specialized in portrait photography. In 1999, he focused almost entirely on autonomous work, mainly commissioned by museums and galleries. Since 2010, he has been making dozens of portraits of the Netherlands' greatest actors for the DeLaMar theater in Amsterdam.
He was a photography teacher at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and is known for his compelling series of seriously ill friends. Breukel has received several awards, including the Incentive Award from the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts in 1994 and the Best Designed Book Award twice. His work has been exhibited (inter)nationally, from the MEP in Paris to the Pori Art Museum in Finland.
Meet the Artist – Koos Breukel can be seen from 18 January 2025 – 26 February 2025 at Foam. Open daily 10am - 6pm, Thurs/Fri 10am - 9pm.
Foam
Keizersgracht 609
1017 DS Amsterdam
The Netherlands
+ 31 (0)20 5516500
www.foam.org
Note to editors
This exhibition was made possible by a generous contribution from the VandenEnde Foundation.
