Photographer Eva Besnyö (1910 – 2003) was not only a witness to, but also a driving force behind the emancipation of photography. Together with her contemporaries, she experimented freely with a new visual language: away from painting, focused on reality, close-up, and full of dynamism.
This autumn, Fotomuseum Den Haag presents one of the largest retrospective exhibitions ever of Eva Besnyö’s work. It is composed of photographs from its own collection, the most extensive Besnyö collection in the world. Set against the backdrop of a profoundly changing Europe, the exhibition traces Besnyö’s life: from her first experiences with the camera in Budapest and her formative years in the raw Berlin of the 1930s to her life and career in Bergen and later Amsterdam, where she was part of a progressive creative network. The Second World War, which left deep scars, and her involvement with the Dolle Mina movement in the 1970s are also included. With vintage prints, archival material, magazines, and personal documents, the exhibition offers a rich picture of Besnyö’s oeuvre as well as of the twentieth century, in which political upheavals and the struggle for women’s emancipation are closely intertwined with her life and work.
“Besnyö possessed not only exceptional photographic talent but also entrepreneurial spirit. From her position as a migrant, she consistently managed to carve out a place for herself within leading artistic circles, build her own practice through photo assignments, and develop initiatives that advanced photography, including the groundbreaking exhibition Foto ’37 at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.” – Margriet Schavemaker, General Director of the Kunstmuseum and Fotomuseum The Hague
New Photography
Stylistically, a large part of Eva Besnyö’s work belongs to New Photography, a movement in which the camera was used to show the world in a new, objective, and experimental way. Surprising camera angles, strong diagonal lines, and clear compositions are characteristic of this. With a keen eye, she captures people, cities, architecture, and societal changes. Her photographs show the world as it was: modern, dynamic, and constantly in motion.
In the footsteps of a century
The exhibition traces Besnyö’s life, starting with her childhood in Budapest and her move to Berlin. Together with her then-lover John Fernhout, she exchanged Berlin for Bergen in 1932, where she formed a close friendship with her mother-in-law, Charley Toorop. Through her in-laws, she found herself at the forefront of the Dutch artistic scene. The Second World War marked a turning point in her life. The Jewish Besnyö had to go into hiding, and her work came to a standstill. In post-war Netherlands, she focused her camera on a society in transition: from reconstruction to women’s emancipation, of which her photographs of Dolle Mina have since become iconic documents. In addition to photographs and personal documents by Besnyö, a self-portrait by Charley Toorop and chairs by Gerrit Rietveld are also on display in the exhibition. This addition underscores the extent to which Besnyö was part of the artistic circle in the Netherlands during the 1930s.
Largest collection of Besnyö
In 2023, Fotomuseum Den Haag / Kunstmuseum Den Haag acquired an important collection of 341 prints by photographer Eva Besnyö. All of these photographs were printed in the darkroom by Besnyö herself or under her supervision. The collection includes, among others, the famous portrait of the little boy with the bass, portraits of artist friends such as Charley Toorop and Violette Cornelius, and the street scene taken on Starnberger Straße in Berlin with her characteristic diagonal lines.
This collection was in the possession of Iara Brusse, the daughter of Besnyö. The acquisition of the collection was made possible by a combination of purchase and donation, with support from the Erik Bos Fund.
Publication
Accompanying the exhibition is the publication of the same name, ‘Eva Besnyö – The Liberated Camera’. With text contributions by Maurits de Bruijn, Nienke Coers, Margriet Schavemaker, Iris Sikking, Lou Stoppard, and Willemijn van der Zwaan. The photobook was designed by Hans Gremmen and is published by Hannibal Books.
Biography
Eva Besnyö (1910 – Laren 2003) was born in Budapest. As a teenager, she received a camera from her father, and this proved to be a pivotal moment for the rest of her life. In Budapest, she took lessons from the renowned photographer József Pécsi, who encouraged her to leave for Berlin in 1930 to pursue photography. Due to the rise of fascism, she was forced to move to the Netherlands in 1932, where she quickly gained fame as a professional photographer. Besnyö played a crucial role in the development of Dutch photography in the 20th century. She was one of the most famous figures within the New Photography movement in the Netherlands, which was characterized by a modern, experimental approach and a focus on everyday subjects.
In addition to her artistic work, Besnyö was also socially engaged. In the 1970s, she used her photography as a means to draw attention to women’s rights. Her photographic oeuvre encompasses a wide range of subjects, varying from portraits and street photography to landscapes and abstract compositions. Eva Besnyö passed away on December 12, 2003, in Laren.
This exhibition is made possible in part by the City of The Hague, VriendenLoterij, Erik Bos Fonds, Vereniging Vrienden van Kunstmuseum Den Haag, and V-fonds.
The research preceding the exhibition and publication was carried out with the support of the Vereniging Rembrandt (thanks in part to its Fund for Research into Modern and Contemporary Art).
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Photos provided by Fotomuseum The Hague