Rotterdam Werkt!

Lecturis Rotterdam works together with the Nederlands Fotomuseum. This publication consists entirely of work commissioned by photographers for companies, organizations and media in Rotterdam. The photographers did not have all the artistic freedom in the world, but had to meet the wishes of the client. The often conflicting but surprising tension between professional practice, bound and autonomous photography in relation to the turbulent economic growth of Rotterdam since the beginning of photography is the main subject. It includes well-known, less well-known and, above all, many anonymous photographers who worked for countless photographic departments from multinationals up to and including the Construction and Housing Supervision Service. Working within the strict frameworks of commissioned photography, they were able to make photographs that work both photographic quality and artistic insight.

In addition to a variety of photographic genres and expressions, Rotterdam Werkt! a very varied, often still unknown picture of the Maas city. After all, photos taken on commission had a specific function and were by no means always made public, unless they were taken for advertising purposes, for example.

The compilation is based on the collections of the Nederlands Fotomuseum, the Rotterdam City Archives, the Royal Collections and the Maria Austria Institute. Special photos have also been selected from countless company archives, such as from Nationale-Nederlanden, de Bijenkorf, Heineken and Diergaarde Blijdorp. In addition, many contemporary photographers are represented and there is attention for corporate and other commissioned films.

This book is the second in a series on the collection of the Nederlands Fotomuseum. Strong stories appeared earlier this year, and The Hall of Fame of Dutch Photography early next year.