“Archive” (MACK/2021)
Van Manen sets up a tripod underwater and holds the camera.

Bertien van Manen was born in The Hague, Netherlands in 1935, and spent his childhood in a Catholic school in Heerlen, the center of the former eastern coal mining region of the Netherlands. He later studied French and German literature at Leiden University in the Netherlands, and after graduating, made a living by working as a translator, a French teacher at Leiden University, and as a model, all while raising his two young children.

However, one day, after being invited to be an assistant at a party held at her home, she decided to go from being the one being pointed at with the lens to being the one pointing the lens at her, as one of the few female fashion photographers in Amsterdam at the time, at the age of 40. In the same year, she was deeply influenced by the landmark documentary photobook "The Americans" (published in 1958) by Swiss photographer Robert Frank, and decided to become a documentary photographer.

The level of enthusiasm is evident in the 1975 series, which was shot in Budapest, then on the other side of the Iron Curtain."I Will Be Wolf" (2017)In this series, Hungary before the pervasiveness of globalization is depicted with a sense of distance and black and white film that strongly suggests the influence of Franck.

“I Will Be Wolf” (MACK/2017)
Although this was less evident in later years as cameras became smaller and he got closer to the essence of photography, van Manen's early monochrome works show his outstanding technique and sense as a photographer. At this point, he also showed a strong awareness of composition.

However, as a mother raising her children and wanting to explore new possibilities not only in family life but also in her own personal endeavors, van Manen needed a strong will and tenacious courage to succeed as a photographer.

She photographed her family and relatives, took a collection of photographs of the mining village where she had her roots, and took social documentary photographs that were in line with the women's liberation movement that was in its heyday at the time, but it was not until 1994 that van Manen established her signature style and gained international acclaim.

“Easter and Oak Trees” (MACK/2013)
Although it was not published as a series at the time, he took photographs of his own family in the 1970s. A comment from his son, who appeared as one of the subjects, reminded him of the existence of the photographs, which led to their publication in later years.

“I Am The Only Woman There” (Fw:books/2024)
Van Manen's series "Women as Guests" (Vrouwen te Gast), which features wives of migrant workers and other migrant female workers in the Netherlands, was published as her first photobook by the Dutch feminist publisher Sara in 1979. In 2024, it was re-edited into a new collection by Fw: Books, an independent publisher run by Dutch graphic designer Hans Gremen.

"Gluckauf" (Fw:Books/2023)
Between 1985 and 2013, van Manen repeatedly visited mining towns in the UK, the Czech Republic, the US and Russia.For Van Manen, who grew up in a mining town,The families and communities who lived there were more than just subjects for the images; they were a place of comfort. These photographs are collected in two books, "Moonshine" (MACK, 2014) and "Gluckauf."

A journey to the post-Soviet world and the success of "A Hundred Summers, A Hundred Winters"

Shot between 1991 and 1994, A Hundred Summers, A Hundred Winters (published in 1994) is one of the earliest documentary photographs taken in post-Soviet Russia, covering Moscow, St. Petersburg, Odessa, Tomsk, Siberia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Moldavia and Georgia, where van Manen was one of the first photographers to enter the country.

Taking the time to learn Russian, van Manen filmed the people he met and became close to in Russia, conveying the lives and richness of countries that were shrouded in mystery at the time. It can be said that he perfected his style of filming over long periods of time while interacting with people, and his documentary technique of depicting society behind intimacy at this point.

Boris Mikhailov, a leading Ukrainian photographer, was initially skeptical of her work, as many foreign photographers had taken pictures that captured the horrific scenes of the country, but he soon realised that she was trying to capture something more than appearances and offered her praise.

“A Hundred Summers, A Hundred Winters (De Verbeelding/1994)”
This is Van Manen's first official book and his most famous work. Van Manen attempts to portray society through the lives of individuals, not through stereotypes. He uses an automatic compact camera to blend in naturally with the community.As for contemporary photographs of Ukraine from an internal perspective,Mikhailov and the Kharkiv factioncan be seen in his works.

"Let's Sit Down Before We Go" (MACK/2011)
British photographer Stephen Gill, as editor, rearranged the photos that were not included in "A Hundred Summers, A Hundred Winters" by rearranging them. Van Manen says that in the era when the former was taken, there were still strict rules about how a photograph should be. This book intentionally incorporates out-of-focus, overexposed, and unstructured photos. It is a photo book that makes you think about what makes a good photograph, and is a masterpiece that expresses the essence of van Manen's work. "I Will Be Wolf," published later, was also edited by Stephen Gill.

A Journey to China and the International Writer's Journey

"East Wind, West Wind" (De Verbeelding/2001)
Van Manen visited China 14 times between July 1997 and May 2000, but it wasn't until his 10th visit that he finally figured out what he wanted to photograph. This is his second photobook, and it depicts the pulse of everyday life and leisure pursuits in contemporary China. The book design by Mevis and van Deursen is superb.

“Give Me Your Image” (Steidl/2006)
Van Manen was interested in the photographs displayed in private homes, and created this vernacular/found photo series. It includes "photographs of photographs" taken in private homes in Lithuania, Greece, Germany, Italy, Austria, France, Bulgaria, Mordovia, and the Netherlands. It can be said that this work encapsulates the essence of van Manen's work.

Following the success of A Hundred Summers, A Hundred Winters, van Manen next turned to China, a country undergoing a period of transformation as waves of Westernization swept across the country. From 1997 to 2000, van Manen made repeated visits to different parts of the country, producing East Wind, West Wind (published in 2001).

In 2003, she won a series of photography awards and held exhibitions around the world, gradually gaining international acclaim. Then, in the 2010s, MACK, a London-based publishing house that was one of the driving forces behind the photobook movement that swept across Europe and other parts of the world, began publishing van Manen's early and new works one after another. As a result, her presence became known to an even wider generation, and she began to influence many photographers across generations and borders.

Van Manen's photographs are based on her personal relationship with her subjects, but do not aim to reflect that relationship itself. And while she is close to the people involved, she always remains in the position of a visitor. It is the dynamics of this combination that give van Manen's photographs their organic, poetic depictions and sharp perspective. Just as "The Americans" once inspired her to travel, van Manen's photobook will also invite readers on an uncharted journey through the ages.

“Archive” (MACK/2021)
MACK produced five photo books of van Manen in the 2010s. In 2021, this best-of collection was published. In addition to excerpts from the entire series, it also contains many unpublished photographs, making it a highly valuable resource. It is a large volume of 384 pages.

IACK had been collecting van Manen's photobooks with the dream of one day inviting the artist himself to hold a special exhibition, but unfortunately he passed away on May 27, 2024. The exhibition currently being held in store features all 10 of van Manen's photobooks published to date, as well as his latest book, an updated version of the first book van Manen published in 1979.“I Am The Only Woman There” (The exhibition introduces masterpieces and their trajectory, with a focus on the latest issue (published in 2024).

She also produced The Americans, which was the book that inspired her to become a photographer, and the 1997-98 series that captured the insider perspective of post-Soviet Kharkiv, Ukraine.Boris MikhailovMasterpiece ofCase History (1999)We hope that this will be an opportunity for those who have never heard of the artist before, and those who have already come into contact with his work, to experience his appeal from a variety of angles.

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Now on
Feature: Bertien van Manen
Bertian van Manen's photo collection
Period: Saturday, August 31, 2024 - Monday, September 23, 2024 *Open on weekends and holidays
Business hours: 11:00-14:00/15:00-18:00
Venue: IACK
www.iack.online/pages/feature-bertien-van-manen

Map of works by shooting year
1970-1980 | #FamilyPhoto
Easter and Oak Trees(MACK/2013)

1975 | #Travel to a foreign land
I Will Be Wolf(MACK/2017)

1975-1979 | Reportage on immigrant women and female workers
I Am The Only Woman There(Fw:Books/2024)

1985-2013 | #CoalminingVillage
Moonshine(MACK/2014)
Gluckauf(Fw:Books/2023)

1991-1994 | #Post-Soviet countries
A Hundred Summers, A Hundred Winters(De Verbeelding/1994)
Let's Sit Down Before We Go(MACK/2011)

1997-2000｜#China
East Wind, West Wind(De Verbeelding/2001)

2002-2005 | #Vernacular photography/found photo works that approach the essence of photography
Give Me Your Image(Steidl, 2006)

2013-2015 | #Personal/Poetic Photos from the Later Years
Beyond Maps and Atlases(MACK/2016)

1970-2021 | #Complete Works
Archive(MACK/2021)

To find out more about the author, click here
Interview｜Aperture, issue 220, “The Interview Issue,” Fall 2015
Complete collection. Includes unpublished works, essays, and diaries. |Archive(MACK/2021)