Ticket sale Bertien van Manen launched

Bertien van Manen (The Hague, 1942) began her career as a fashion photographer before travelling the world as an autonomous photographer. She is considered one of the innovators of documentary photography.

Van Manen mainly photographs people in everyday situations, in areas where political and social changes are taking place. Her photographs are not about historical events, but rather about the prolonged encounter, closeness to the people portrayed and capturing everyday life.

Immersing in culture

A characteristic of Van Manen's work is that she manages to get close to her subject. Instead of travelling up and down to a place, she immerses herself in the local culture and lives with the people whose lives she documents.

"Sometimes I would just ring the doorbell somewhere and ask if I could take photos. Often those people would then offer me a place to sleep. Sometimes I stayed with them for a week, listening to their stories and recording their doings. I only started taking photos after a few days. By then, a bond had been formed and they didn't even notice me and my camera." (Bertien van Manen in De Limburger, 4 April 2023)

Besides photographing in the UK, the US and Russia, Van Manen has also photographed in China, Hungary and former Soviet republics, among others. Her work has been exhibited worldwide in museums including Museum of Modern Art in New York, Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, FOAM Amsterdam, FoMu Antwerp and Fotomuseum Winterthur.