Ed van der Elsken — Fundación MAPFRE / Steidl, 2017

This substantial monograph revisits the restless, charismatic vision of Dutch photographer Ed van der Elsken, whose street portraits and diaristic sequences defined a raw, cinematic language of postwar photography. Published for a major retrospective at Fundación MAPFRE, co-produced with the Stedelijk Museum and Steidl, the book traces van der Elsken’s transcontinental journeys—from Amsterdam to Paris, Tokyo to Hong Kong—through his iconic images of beatniks, punks, lovers, and loners. His camera is unashamedly present, emotionally charged, and always entangled in the scene. The cover image, Chica en el metro, Tokio, 1981, condenses his approach: urban light, desire, movement, and immediacy. With critical texts and archival materials, this 2017 catalogue captures both van der Elsken’s visual ferocity and his enduring influence on generations of street photographers and filmmakers. It belongs in Darwin for its balance of grit and lyricism, and as a record of how a life can be told through presence, not posture.

Technical Sheet
Title: Ed van der Elsken
Artist / Author: Ed van der Elsken
Date: 2017
Technique / Printing Method: Offset
Medium / Materials: Hardcover
Dimensions (cm): Approx. 25 × 30
Language: Spanish
Pages: Approx. 280
Publisher / Editor: Fundación MAPFRE, Steidl, Hannibal Publishing
ISBN: 978-84-9844-661-6
Condition: USED – near fine