Ed van der Elsken – the ‘enfant terrible’ of Dutch photography – was a talented photographer and filmmaker who expressed his meetings with people in photos, photo books and films for more than 40 years. Strolling through cities such as Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Amsterdam or travelling through Africa and Japan, he preferably took photographs of striking individuals with character…
The life of photographer, film-maker, artist and world traveller Ed van der Elsken was closely linked with his work. He did not hide behind the camera but used it to establish direct contact with the people he liked to photograph most: eccentric types in big cities, often down-and-outs. Nevertheless, his photos are not meant as an indictment against the evils in this world…