Art

December 2011 www.timeoutamsterdam.nl 55

with Pierre Bonnard’s nude studies. Interestingly, these nudes are quite clinical compared to the delicacy of his paintings – from what’s discern-able in the teeny tiny prints, anyway.

The gem of the exhibit is work from George Hendrik Breitner, who later earned international recogni-tion as a photographer in his own right. ‘Snapshot’ deserves to be seen simply for the gorgeous prints of his nudes, with rich compositions and delectable lighting, and for his ‘Kimono Girl’ series. On the other side of the room, Henri Rivière’s graphic photos of the construction of the Eiffel Tower are shown with

his illustrations, which sometimes appear to be directly copied from the pictures.

If the forced labels and organisa-tion of the show are ignored, the creative window that amateur photography opened to these visual artists becomes clear. One painter could be inspired by his photography to experiment with other boundaries, while another simply manifested his vision through this new medium. Some of the pictures stand out strikingly, too, on their own merits, as these talented few were actually discovering a new art form.Marie-Charlotte Pezé

Van Gogh Museum until 8 Jan 2012

The door swung wide open for amateur photography in 1888 when Kodak introduced its first line of portable cameras with the slogan ‘You press the button, we do the rest’. Gone were the long exposures and technical difficulties of plate photography; snapshots were sud-denly born. Unsurprisingly, many turn-of-the-19th-century artists turned to this new medium for inspiration.

Through the celluloid experimen-tations of seven Dutch, Belgian and French painters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the new exhibit ‘Snapshot’ at Van Gogh aptly dem-onstrates how photography opened artists’ eyes to new compositions and novel ways of capturing their subjects of inspiration. It’s also a rare and nostalgic look into their intima-cies, their studios, their friendships (look out for Matisse’s picture taken by Henri Evenepoel) and perhaps even the ways of life at the time.

But exhibit curators sometimes seem to have the obsessive-com-pulsive need to organise artwork thematically, even when the result is contrived and a bit confusing. For in-stance, Félix Vallotton used portraits of his wife as points of departure for his brushwork and Édouard Vuil-lard’s posed compositions are almost painting-like. Why show them in the ‘Friends and Family’ section along with Evenepoel’s lively pictures of children? They would be better situated in the ‘Posing’ area, where there also happens to be a clash of more domestic snapshots juxtaposed

Review

Snapshot. Painters and Photography, 1888-1915

Amateur photo-graphy opened art-ists’ eyes to new compositions

George Breitner’s photo and painting of ‘Girl in a Kimono’

Major institutionsHow to use the listings

NEW Denotes a new opening. Before a date de-notes a closing date.

How to be listedPlease send all listings to listings@timeoutamsterdam.nl by 13.00 on the 12th of the month prior to publication. Information must include any admission charges, times and dates. Listings are free but, as space is limited, inclusion is not guaranteed. Late or incomplete submissions will not be included.

Amsterdam Museum Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 357/Kalver-

straat 92 (523 1822/amsterdammuseum.nl). Open Mon-Fri 10.00-17.00; Sat, Sun and national holidays 10.00-18.00; €10, seniors €7.50, ages 6-18 €5, under-6s free. This museum chronicles Amsterdam’s past using archaeological finds, works of art and some far quirkier displays, such as a small cinema where you can watch clips from a range of films that feature Amsterdam.

Amsterdam DNA Amsterdam trivia buffs to the generally curious should all thoroughly enjoy this 45-minute ‘short-tour’ introduction to the city and its history. ongoing.

ARCAMFREE Prins Hendrikkade 600 (620 4878/

arcam.nl). Open Tue-Sat 13.00-17.00. Archi-tecture Centrum Amsterdam is focused on promoting Dutch contemporary architectural design now and in the future through forums, lectures and exhibits.

NEW Red Light District Pilot Proj-ects Amsterdam wishes to change De Wallen. The exhibition will feature proposed projects for transformation of the Red Light District, to leave prostitution largely unchanged but use the remaining vacant spaces for other purposes. 9 Dec 20 Jan 2012.

Cobra Museum Sandbergplein 1, Amstelveen (547 5050/

cobra-museum.nl). Open Tue-Sun and national holidays 11.00-17.00; €9.50, seniors €6.50, ages 6-18 €5, under-6s free. Named after the Copenhagen-, Brussels- and Amsterdam-based art movement whose work it presents.

Lisa Walker Wearable Lisa Walker is a winner of the Françoise van den Bosch prize, awarded to experimental jewellery makers. Expect large, colourful, statement necklaces. 11 Dec.

Studio Tuscany: Karel Appel and Roberto Barni A collection of Appel’s large paintings and sculptures from his years in Tuscany, accompanied by a video made by his neighbour, the famous Italian painter Roberto Barni. 15 Jan 2012.

NEW Cobra Art Prize Amstelveen The 2011 Art Prize Amstelveen has been awarded to British artist Nathaniel Mellors, who combines art, music, theatre and text, mirroring the multidisciplinary work of the Cobra artists. His psychedelic theatre, film, video, performances, collages and sculpture blur the boundaries between meaning and incomprehensibility, and examine the complex relationship between language and power. 10 Dec 4 Mar 2012.

FOAM Keizersgracht 609 (551 6500/foam.nl).

Open daily 10.00-18.00, Thur, Fri until 21.00; €8, students and seniors €5.50, under-12s free. The city’s premier museum of photog-raphy.

What’s Next? Celebrating its tenth anniversary, FOAM presents four different expert visions on photography exhibitions

of the future; guest curators Jefferson Hack, Alison Nordstrom, Erik Kessels and Lauren Cornell present their proposals for ‘what’s next’. 7 Dec.

Talent 2011 The 15 young photographers chosen for FOAM’s fifth annual ‘Talent’ issue

will be exhibited at a temporary exhi-bition location on Vijzelstraat 78

(at the corner of the main venue on Keizersgracht). 15 Dec.

NEW Joel Sternfeld – Colour Photographs since 1970 The first major retrospective in the Netherlands of Sternfeld’s work, featuring more than 100 photos from 10 different

projects. One of the pioneers of colour photography, the

New York born artist presents an image of daily life in America

over the last three decades. 16 Dec 14 Mar 2012.

Hermitage Amsterdam Amstel 51 (530 7488/hermitage.nl). Open

daily 10.00-17.00, Wed until 20.00; €15, under-17s free. The grand St Petersburg museum’s Amsterdam outpost in the grand Amstelhof. Next door, find the Hermitage for Children.

Rubens, Van Dyck & Jordaens: Flem-ish painters from the Hermitage On loan from its Russian parent, the Amsterdam edition of the Hermitage is pulling out a selection of almost 100 works by the three titled masters of the Antwerp School and their contemporaries, with a special focus on Peter Paul Rubens. 16 Mar 2012.

Hollandsche Schouwburg Plantage Middenlaan 24 (531 0340/

hollandscheschouwburg.nl). Open daily 11.00-16.00, €2.50. Once the city’s primary theatrical venue and later a Jewish theatre, in 1942 it became the Nazis’ main deporta-tion centre used to send about 80,000 Dutch Jews to camps. Nowadays the space is a war memorial.

Huis Marseille Keizersgracht 401 (531 8989/huismarseille.

nl). Open Tue-Sun and national holidays 11.00-18.00; €5, students €3, under-17s free. This monumental 17th-century house presents exhibitions of classic photographers and new hotshots.

Scarlett Hooft Graafland: Soft Horizons Taking her inspiration from rugged and inhospitable locations, Graafland creates surreal installations (with the help of locals) which document human interaction with nature. 11 Dec.

NEW Naoya Hatakeyama: Natural Stories With the unique ability to create precise, refined photographs of moments when huge and destabilizing forces are at work, Japanese photographer Naoya Hatakeyama presents ‘Blasts’, a series of photographs of explosions in an open-cast limestone mine, a series of photographs of the Westfahlen mine in Ahlen and a third series of the recent tsunami in Japan and the destruction that ensued in his own birthplace of Rikuzentakada in Iwate. 16 Dec 26 Feb 2012.

NEW Siebe Swart: Land of Air and Water Photographing the Netherlands’ ‘bat-tle’ with rising water levels from the vantage point of a helicopter, Dutch photographer Siebe Swart documents the scars left behind – such as old dike breaches, enclosed river arms and artificial peninsulas. 16 Dec 26 Feb 2012.

Joods Historisch Museum Nieuwe Amstelstraat 1 (531 0310/jhm.nl).

Open daily 11.00-17.00; €12, ages 13-17 €6, ages 6-12 €3, under-6 free. Located in the old Jewish quarter, this museum is full of religious items, photographs and paintings detailing the rich history of Jews and Judaism in the Netherlands throughout the centuries.

CRITIC’S PICK New York Reflections A retrospective of Saul Leiter’s abstract snap-shots of New York. Leiter’s work is recognised for his experimentation with light and shadow in the early colour photography. 4 Mar 2012.

My name is Cohen Photographer Daniel

Art HolidAys

Some institions and

galleries will have unusual

hours during the holiday

season. Please check

ahead before

you go