99 photographs showing the development of photography in the Netherlands

The Netherlands has a worldwide first. For the first time in history, a so-called gallery of honor has been compiled for photography. Ninety-nine photographs together tell the story of the development of photography in the Netherlands, going back to the year 1842.Text: Fleur de Jong
Image: MENDO | Nederlands Fotomuseum

A missing image

The Gallery of Honor is on display at the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam. The images with their accompanying stories make you as a visitor look at the world with different eyes. With each photograph, information is given about the background and the reason why it deserves a prominent place in the gallery. The 99 photos translate the development of photography; it shows highlights, but also innovations and steps the photographers made. One thing all the photographs have in common is their connection to the Netherlands.

An additional exhibition hall has been added to the Nederlands Fotomuseum to accommodate the exhibition. Each photograph hangs there in its own format, from small and black and white to meters high in color. One image has been left open. This image may be determined by the public, and the photograph chosen will complete the Gallery of Honor with a total of one hundred photographs.

The committee

Strict selection was made on the photos that deserved a spot in the Gallery of Honor. This was determined by a committee consisting of five members: Frits Gierstberg (curator Nederlands Fotomuseum), Khalid Amakran (photographer), Mattie Boom (curator of photography Rijksmuseum), Loes van Harrevelt (curator of collections Nederlands Fotomuseum) and Kevin Osepa (photographer). The photographs were selected by this committee on the basis of artistic and social relevance, innovation and polyphony.Umi, Schoonhoven | Meryem SlimaniU2, Santa Cruz, Tenerife 1991 | Anton Corbijn

Gallery of honor in book form

For those who prefer to view the photos at home on the couch or for those who want to browse through the photos at their leisure after visiting the exhibition, there is good news: the Gallery of Honor is also available in book form.

Click here for more information about the Gallery of Honor of Dutch Photography.