The art of photography has taken Eddy Posthuma de Boer to over 85 countries: he has been witness to historical events and come face to face with the greats of the world. Throughout his career, he has predominantly been on the road for his work as a photojournalist. Alongside his journalistic photography, he has also always produced personal work, which he has compiled into dozens of photo books.
The humanist photography movement, which emerged in Europe shortly after World War II, has had a significant impact on Posthuma de Boer’s work. This socially documentary movement was characterized by capturing the human experience, documenting the traditions and customs that connect us as humans, and having a sincere belief in societal progress. Eva Besnyö (1910-2003) – a major source of inspiration and a ‘photography mother’ to Postuma de Boer – is considered part of this movement, along with Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) and Robert Doisneau (1912-1994).
But Eddy Posthuma de Boer also displays another side of the post-war period: the rise of youth culture with jazz and rock ‘n’ roll music, and the widespread social unrest of the late 1960s and 1970s. In this regard, the photographer aligns himself with illustrious contemporaries and fellow professionals such as Ed van der Elsken (1925-1990) and Johan van der Keuken (1938-2001): the generation of existentialism that placed their individual view of the world at the heart of their work and no longer believed in the myth of progress. As such, Posthuma de Boer’s optimistic worldview does have a raw edge to it.
www.ftn-books.com has several publications on Posthuma de Boer available.
