Ed van der Elsken

Ed van der Elsken, enfant terrible of Dutch photography, captured his encounters with people in photographs, photo books and films for more than 40 years. He started photographing in the late 1940s, so his photography spans the period from World War II to the 1970s. Although at first glance Van der Elsken's work appears to be documentary photography, he had a subjective style in which reality and imagination intermingle. Thus, he also photographed imitated or created realities such as dioramas, wax figures, and posters, in which one may, at times, discover a socially critical view. In this work, King Sihanouk receives Jackie Kennedy for a tour through Phnom Penh, Cambodia (1967). Van der Elsken was there to make a report for Avenue magazine, yet Jackie seems to look him straight in the eye. In his book 'Hallo' Ed wrote the following about this photo: 'some time ago when Sihanoek was still the boss in Cambodia he received Jackie Kennedy. Many foreign reporters. [...] Leica M4 and bright wide angle. I bet on the light of the American television filmmakers, backlight is sometimes beautiful''.