THE NEDERLANDS FOTOMUSEUM IN LAS PALMAS OPENING ON THURSDAY 19 APRIL 2007

Nederlands Fotomuseum
Wilhelminakade 332
3072 AR Rotterdam
The Netherlands
00 (0)10 2030405
http://www.nederlandsfotomuseum.nl


On 19 April 2007 the Nederlands Fotomuseum is opening its doors in the completely refurbished Las Palmas building on the Wilhelmina Pier in Rotterdam. The move from the Witte de Withstraat to Las Palmas means that the museum has twice as much exhibition space at its disposal, state-of-the-art public facilities and the newest depot for photography in the Netherlands. The inaugural exhibitions in the new Nederlands Fotomuseum are Dutch Eyes and Panorama Las Palmas.

The Nederlands Fotomuseum really comes into its own in the Las Palmas building. Benthem Crouwel Architects have thoroughly renovated and remodelled the building while preserving its original industrial character. Firstly this means that more storage space is available for archiving and preserving photographic material: 4 million negatives, transparencies, prints and an ever-expanding collection of digital images. Besides having twice as much floor area, the number of exhibition spaces has been doubled from two to four. The new layout also provides greater scope for educational activities, as well as for the library and the expertise centre.

With more than 1,000 square metres of exhibition space in Las Palmas, the Nederlands Fotomuseum is able to present a richly varied exhibition programme comprising historical and contemporary photography from the Netherlands and abroad. Besides presenting international highlights and the acknowledged masters, the museum also devotes attention to the role of photography in society, visual culture and the media. The programme includes photography in its applied forms (fashion, science, etc.), interrelationships with film, video, the Internet and interactive media, photography in newspapers and magazines, and even amateur photography.

Dutch Eyes
Dutch Eyes is the inaugural exhibition at the new Nederlands Fotomuseum, providing a comprehensive survey of the history of photography in the Netherlands. There is certainly no shortage of work by renowned photographers such as Aart Klein, Rineke Dijkstra, Eva Besnyö and Ed van der Elsken, but thanks to the well-reasoned thematic approach there is work by many less familiar photographers on display as well. The themes explored by the exhibition were selected on the basis of their significance for the history of photography and the cultural history of the Netherlands. The exhibition coincides with the publication of an authoritative new book on the history of photography in the Netherlands under the same title as the exhibition: Dutch Eyes.

Panorama Las Palmas
The second inaugural exhibition, Panorama Las Palmas, sets out from the Wilhelmina Pier to explore 150 years of photography and the development of Rotterdam and its port in a one-kilometre radius around Las Palmas. Captured in photographs by Hameter, Mögle, Jannes Linders, Carel van Hees and others, this history extends from the first large-scale expansion of the port to the devastating destruction during the Second World War, from post-war reconstruction to today's high-rise projects on the Kop van Zuid. Scheduled to continue for about a year and a half, this exhibition presents the first semi-permanent overview of the history of Dutch photography.

An historic location
With its move from the Witte de Withstraat to the Wilhelmina Pier, the Nederlands Fotomuseum is settling at a location that occupies an important place in Rotterdam's history. Hundreds of thousands of emigrants set sail for the USA and Canada from the Wilhelmina Pier, which served as the headquarters of the Holland-America Line from 1901. Las Palmas was completed in 1953 to accommodate workshops and warehousing for the Holland-America Line. The building's spaciousness, robust concrete structure and striking interior make it eminently suitable for this new cultural function.

Nederlands Fotomuseum
Wilhelminakade 332
3072 AR Rotterdam
The Netherlands
00 (0)10 2030405

Note to Editors
For further information, digital visual material or interviews:
'Claire Beke – Communicatie in Cultuur'
T +31 (0)10 425 03 44
P.O. Box 1377
3000 BJ Rotterdam
The Netherlands
E press@nederlandsfotomuseum.nl

You can also find more information on the museum website: http://www.nederlandsfotomuseum.nl




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