The Hague Museum of Photography opened its doors in December 2002. It is part of the Gemeentemuseum The Hague and works closely with the Print Room of Leiden University Library.
Every year the museum organises around six exhibitions covering a wide range of periods, disciplines and genres in the history of photography, often focusing on the human figure. This wide-ranging approach – national and international, traditional and contemporary, black-and-white and colour – has enabled the museum to build up a broad public keen to sample such a varied and outstanding programme.
Contemporary names such as Desiree Dolron, Gregory Crewdson and Loretta Lux alternate with classic photographers such as Emmy Andriesse, Edward S. Curtis and Leonard Freed. Little-known oeuvres, like those of Gerard P. Fieret and Willem van de Poll, or the ‘Dutch period’ of fashion photographer Erwin Blumenfeld, are placed firmly in the spotlight. Another regular feature is socially relevant projects by contemporary photographers. Examples include the series on the Yugoslavia Tribunal by Friso Keuris, the portrayal of eroticism between older people by Marrie Bot, or the threatened landscapes of Anja de Jong.
The museum is associated with the important prize awarded each year: the Silver Camera for press photography in the Netherlands.
