“I aspire to attain everything. None of my photographs are failures,” stated Gerard Fieret, capturing the essence of his unconventional and idiosyncratic body of work (1924-2009). This exceptional photographer left behind a mesmerizing collection of subjects: people, animals, street scenes, and himself. However, his love for capturing women – models, students, young mothers, dancers, and waitresses – or their body parts in isolation, such as breasts, feet, or long legs, was unparalleled. Despite being concentrated over just ten years (1965-1975), Fieret’s relentless pursuit of photography resulted in a vast oeuvre. In the Netherlands, he is known as a pioneer of autonomous visual art photography. Recently, his art has garnered international recognition, yet he remains relatively unknown to the general public, unlike his contemporaries Paul Huf and Ed van der Elsken. For the first time since his passing, the Hague Museum of Photography is co-hosting a major exhibition in collaboration with the Le Bal photographic center in Paris, showcasing Gerard Fieret’s work.
In his career, Gerard Fieret often sabotaged his own success. Wim van Sinderen, the curator at the Hague Museum of Photography, reminisces about Fieret’s unannounced visits, where he would sneakily add his signature to already-collected works, donate bin bags full of photographs, or hand-deliver lengthy letters filled with paranoid accusations. Fieret was equally unpredictable when it came to exhibitions and publications, causing turmoil for curators and publishers with his interference. Nevertheless, the Hague Museum of Photography successfully organized a major exhibition for his 80th birthday in 2004, and in 2010, the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag acquired his estate.
www.ftn-books.com has now the invitation for this memorable Fotomuseum exhibition available.
