Piet van Leeuwen
Frank van der Stok
Abstract
As a photographer driven by a desire for experimentation and in possession of an inquisitive nature, Piet van Leeuwen has been making innovative and original contributions to photography in the Netherlands for the last thirty years. Although he regularly operates on photography’s periphery, he has always remained true to his medium of choice. Even the activities outside his profession, e.g. as an advisor, teacher, owner of a gallery, collector, guest curator and author, all fall under the domain of photography.
Biography
|
1942 |
Piet van Leeuwen is born on 20 September in Rotterdam. |
|
Ca. 1953 |
Van Leeuwen begins photographing around his eleventh year. |
|
1960 |
Van Leeuwen works at his father’s wood store. |
|
1964-‘65 |
After obtaining his ULO (Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs, a lower-level secondary school) diploma, Van Leeuwen enters military service, taking photographs without permission. Upon the completion of military service, he studies at the MTS voor fotografie en fotonica (Middelbare Technische School, ‘Intermediate Technical School of Photography and Photonics’), The Hague for one year. |
|
1965 |
Van Leeuwen obtains a position with the photo editorial staff of the Dutch newspapers, Algemeen Dagblad/NRC-Handelsblad. It was Van Leeuwen’s father who had vouched on his behalf, having written a letter of application on his son’s behalf at his own initiative. Van Leeuwen quits after one year and returns to his father’s wood store as a part-time employee. He occasionally receives commissions to do fashion photography. In this year, Van Leeuwen establishes himself as an independent photographer in Rotterdam. He marries Ati de Ruiter. Van Leeuwen photographs during their honeymoon trip to Portugal, which lasts several months. In the years the couple are together, she assists him often. |
|
1969 |
His first reportages appear in the Dutch magazine, Panorama, in which he presents himself as a fashion photographer. Publications in Avenue and Libelle follow shortly after. Because of the freedom bestowed upon him by the magazines’ art directors, Van Leeuwen is able to experiment with photography. Van Leeuwen moves to Haarlem (where he still lives and works). It is from here that he continues his freelance work for magazines. |
|
1972 to present |
Besides his commissioned work, Van Leeuwen gradually becomes more involved in his own autonomous photography. |
|
1973 |
Van Leeuwen receives a stipend from the Ministry of CRM (Cultuur, Recreatie en Maatschappelijk Werk, ‘Culture, Recreation and Social Work’) for the further development of sketches and designs for three-dimensional photographic sculptures. |
|
1976 |
Van Leeuwen receives a second stipend from the Ministry of CRM for the realisation of three-dimensional photographic sculptures. |
|
1977 |
Van Leeuwen’s first solo exhibition, Het geheim van de Topcon (‘The Secret of the Topcon’), is held in Rotterdam at Gallery Lantaren/Venster. |
|
1977-‘81 |
Van Leeuwen starts his ‘Van Gallery’ in the studio at his home, where he programmes exhibitions with photography, painting and installation art. Performances are also held here on occasion. |
|
1977-‘84 |
Van Leeuwen is one of the first photographer-artists to fall under the BKR (Beeldende Kunstenaars Regeling, an artist’s subsidy). |
|
1979 |
From the Ministry of CRM, Piet van Leeuwen receives a travel grant to conduct research, following the traces of Giovanni Battista della Porta in Napels. |
|
1979-‘80 |
Van Leeuwen reviews photography exhibitions for the magazine, Zero. He also provides reportage on (interior) architecture. |
|
1980-‘83 |
Van Leeuwen is a member of the Programming Commission for building the collection of Beeldende Kunst Binnenland (‘Domestic Visual Arts’) of the Ministry of CRM and the NKS (Nederlandse Kunststichting, ‘Netherlands Art Foundation’). |
|
1983 |
Van Leeuwen writes the concept for the exhibitions, Twee is één (‘Two is One’) and Geconstrueerd voor Foto’s (‘Constructed for Photos’), commissioned by the ‘Department of Visual Arts/NKS Amsterdam’ of the Ministry of WVC (Welzijn, Volksgezondheid en Cultuur, ‘Welfare, Public Health and Culture’). |
|
1983-‘85 |
Van Leeuwen plays a role in the workgroups and commissions that produce three reports in the area of photography. |
|
1983-‘89 |
During this period, Van Leeuwen is a principal member of the Department of Visual Art, Architecture and Design in the Raad van de Kunst (‘Council of the Arts’) in The Hague. |
|
1984 |
Having divorced from Atie de Ruiter, Van Leeuwen marries Marleen Vermeire from Belgium. She too is involved in Van Leeuwen’s work. |
|
1985 |
The Province of North Holland grants Van Leeuwen a stipend for the further execution of his project devoted to Giovanni Battista della Porta (in Naples). Van Leeuwen is the guest curator for the Rijksdienst Beeldende Kunst (‘National Department of Visual Art’) in determining its acquisition policy regarding photography. |
|
1989-‘91 |
Van Leeuwen teaches photography in the department of ‘Vrije Kunst’ (‘Free Art’) at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten in Arnhem (‘Arnhem School of the Arts’). |
|
1990-‘91 |
Piet van Leeuwen is commissioned to do the illustrations for the fish cuisine cookbook, Vis. Spelen met Vuur (‘Fish. Playing with Fire’). His wife Marleen assists him with the book’s production. |
|
1990-‘93 |
Van Leeuwen (re-) opens a store/gallery/post order company at home under the name ‘Van-Mail’. Exhibitions based on various themes are held there on occasion. |
|
1992 |
The Fonds BKVB (Fonds voor Beeldende Kunst, Vormgeving en Bouwkunst, ‘Netherlands Fund for Visual Arts, Design and Architecture’) in Amsterdam provides Van Leeuwen with a working grant that allows him to continue his photographic endeavours (including photograms with blister packing and the ‘lemon project’). |
|
1993-‘94 |
Van Leeuwen is commissioned to work on the exhibition, Vis-a-Vis: Bivalvia, for the Visserijmuseum (‘Museum of Fishing’) in Vlaardingen. Following his divorce from Marleen Vermeire, he enters a relationship with the theatrical director, Marga Hagoort, in early 1994. She is a highly stimulating factor in his life and work. |
|
1994 |
To celebrate the occasion of the city of Haarlem’s 750th anniversary, Van Leeuwen creates a business gift for the board of the city council. The Frans Hals Museum and the Nederlands Foto- & Grafisch Centrum (‘Netherlands Photo and Graphic Arts Centre’) invite him to visualise the theme ‘Civic Pride’ in photographs, as well within the framework of Haarlem’s 750th anniversary. |
Discussion
In stylistic terms, Piet van Leeuwen’s oeuvre does not form any recognisable unity. It moves between the two extremes of traditional documentary photography and the fantasy of staged photography. It is the latter, however, that he promoted the most and through which he gained notoriety.
Van Leeuwen began with his first staged scenes in the early 1970s, while working for magazines such as Avenue, Panorama and Libelle. Besides fashion and journalistic reportages, he was also responsible for the culinary photography. For these photos he constructed tableaus in which food served as the main component, which he subsequently photographed. Van Leeuwen’s art directors (including Hans Ducro at Panorama and Dick de Moey at Avenue) provided him with an opportunity to further develop this form of photography, which was unusual for its time. Very few people in the Netherlands had ventured into staged photography. Only in the early 1980s was this movement to gain popularity among a broader art-loving public. There were indeed artists from the pop-art scene surrounding Daan van Golden, and conceptually oriented artists such as Ger van Elk and Pieter Laurens Mol, who, through their working method and visual idiom, were to have a certain influence on the development of staged photography. These contemporaries, however, are comparable to Van Leeuwen only to a limited extent. Apart from his own visual contribution, Van Leeuwen was an important promoter of staged photography. Even before there were exhibitions devoted to this relatively new phenomenon organised on a larger scale in the Netherlands, Van Leeuwen had presented several exhibitions of domestic and international staged photography in his ‘Van Gallery’, established in Haarlem in 1977. In 1983, he also conceived the exhibition, Geconstrueerd voor foto’s (‘Constructed for Photos’), in which staged or constructed photography was amply represented. In the 1980s, Van Leeuwen’s work could be seen on occasion among works by photographic artists such as Rommert Boonstra, Henk Tas, Lydia Schouten, Gerald van der Kaap and Wink van Kempen—the leading figures of staged photography in the Netherlands. His work was nevertheless distinctive from that of others based on the absence of an eclectic idiom derived from previously existing images, by which much of staged photography’s visual language can be identified. This serves in fact as an important characteristic of American post-modernistic art, which had a tremendous influence on the emergence of staged photography in the Netherlands. While Van Leeuwen occasionally made references to existing cultural imagery, it was never with the frequency with which this occurred among staged photographers in its heyday. Despite the unpredictability of style, form or content, Van Leeuwen’s constructed photos virtually always carried an unmistakeable personal signature.
Van Leeuwen’s period of study in the area of photography was brief. He abandoned his study at the MTS voor fotografie en fotonica (Middelbare Technische School, ‘Intermediate Technical School of Photography and Photonics’), once it had become apparent that his technical skills were lacking. He possessed a greater penchant for the creative aspects of photography. This was also reflected in his school grades: his test scores were extremely low, and for this reason, he was forced to leave. During this brief period (1964-1965) at the MTS, however, Van Leeuwen was instructed by the portrait photographer Hugo Liebe. It was also in this period that he first met Wout Berger, a fellow photographer with whom Van Leeuwen would eventually win the Textilia-Texpress fashion prize in 1969 during their temporary collaborative association (others competing were Jean Ruiter and Paul Huf). The collaboration with Berger, however, was of short duration. In that same year, Van Leeuwen established himself as a freelance professional photographer in Haarlem. He was responsible for the photos of magazines such as Avenue and Panorama in the areas of fashion and ‘haute cuisine’, as well as all kinds of thematic journalistic reportages. Practical working experience was to form his further ‘training’.
During the 1950s and 60s, Van Leeuwen was greatly inspired by the photographs that appeared in the Popular Photography Annuals. These publications were largely based on ‘subjective photography’, a creative form of photography that had become formalised by the exhibitions and publications of Professor Otto Steinert of the Folkwangschule (‘Folkwang School’) in Essen (Germany). Van Leeuwen also became fascinated with the still lifes of Irving Penn, whose photos appeared regularly in the magazine, Harper’s Bazaar. In the area of fashion photography, Art Kane, Guy Bourdin and Harry Peckinotti were his most inspiring role models.
By the early 1970s, Van Leeuwen began to make conceptual work, usually in the form of photo sequences. The succession of images made it possible to suggest abstract ideas such as space, time, process, change and observation. The progress of the various stages of building Van Leeuwen’s house in Haarlem becomes clearly visible, for instance, by presenting images in the form of a series of snapshots. Elsewhere in the Netherlands, artists/photographers such as Michel Szulc- Krzyzanowski, Paul den Hollander, and Jan Dibbets were likewise applying the sequential form in practice. Van Leeuwen expressed other conceptual notions in a series of photos that appeared to have been taken on purpose, but which were instead most likely taken by accident while reloading a (new) film roll into the camera. With the resulting sloppy and non-aesthetic compositions, he not only associated the element of chance with photography, but also the notion that was so typical of conceptual art: that the idea or content is more important than the design or packaging thereof.
From the second half of the 1970s on, Van Leeuwen’s choice of material and the themes in his work display a certain similarity with the Arte Povera. At the heart of this Italian variant of conceptual art lay a strong connection with natural materials. Natural artefacts and objects constructed from natural materials, such as ceramic roof tiles and cardboard, are regularly featured as the key components or decor pieces in Van Leeuwen’s staged photo collages.
Piet van Leeuwen was continually immersing himself in the history of photography, including the various applications of the photographic process. During his investigations, he came across the historical figure, Giovanni Battista della Porta, a Neapolitan who demonstrated the principle of the camera obscura, the forerunner of the photo camera, for the instruction and pleasure of members belonging to a secret society that he himself had set up. The story goes that Della Porta invited a select group of people to observe this spectacle, which supposedly even included elephants. In a ‘dark room’, the public could watch the outdoor event that he had directed. The scenes were ‘projected’ on a conical mirror mounted on the rear wall via a lens that had been placed into the wall, thereby reversing the upside-down image produced by the lens. One got to see live images ‘projected’, but also gained insight into the principles of physics underlying this phenomenon. Van Leeuwen felt a tremendous bond with this extraordinary artist. In 1986, he devoted a series of works to Della Porta. Shortly after he began photographing, Van Leeuwen developed a remarkable interest in compositions, in which food and kitchen utensils were laid out. It is therefore no wonder that seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish still life painting served as his inspiration and model. Van Leeuwen generally delves deeply into his subjects, which he arranges into themes before undertaking the actual execution. The history of art and photography are beloved subjects of study and inspiration during this process. In no sense is it Van Leeuwen’s aim to produce modern versions of old paintings by photographic means. His photo images are to be considered as tributes. From works made by those masters that he admires—e.g. Adriaan Coorte, Willem Claesz. Heda, Joachim Beuckelaer—he borrows only elements or compositional themes that suit his needs. In recent years, Van Leeuwen has shown a very noticeable interest in lemons and fish, exploring both themes further in the form of specific projects. With the lemon, Van Leeuwen has immersed himself in the iconography and typology of the (peeled) lemon in still lifes from the past and present. Like a madman he searches in art books for such images of the sixteenth and seventeenth century in Dutch and Flemish still-life painting. He imitates a suitable model by peeling a lemon that is similar and making the peel ‘curl up’ in the exact same way. He is chiefly interested in formal aspects such as composition, colour and light. As a gift to the Haarlem city council in celebration of the city’s 750th anniversary, Van Leeuwen took five separate lemons made after models of Willem Claesz. Heda and lined them up according to a compositional scheme of Frans Hals as if they were the main figures of a painting of Dutch regents. While perhaps being familiar with the symbolism associated with seventeenth-century still life painting, Van Leeuwen’s intention is not to breathe new life into it. At the same time, his fascination with the lemon, fish and other spices by no means overlooks the connotations still known to this day, including themes such as ‘vanitas’ and virginity. Van Leeuwen’s work is filled with such references, though this is not always meant to address higher values or profound thinking.
Van Leeuwen has always sought out new uses and original ideas for photography in general. This particularly applies to everything he constructs in front of his camera. By experimenting with shooting techniques and forms of presentation, he adds a number of dimensions to photography as a form of visual art. The photo objects that he made from the early 1970s to the early 1980s, for instance, were based on the idea that the spatial form of an object can be reconstructed with the help of photos. By copying the object on a reduced scale and covering it with its own photographic image, Van Leeuwen made use of a playful form of optical deception.
In the many still lifes that Van Leeuwen made over the years, food and kitchenware were often the chief components. He became skilled in transforming food into the building blocks of still lifes. In the fictitious world that Van Leeuwen creates in front of the camera, potatoes take on an anthropomorphic appearance, ‘seventeenth-century’ lemons take part in modern decors, and cucumbers assume the role of a skyscraper just for the occasion. In this regard, his photographic work for the fish cuisine cookbook, Vis. Spelen met vuur (‘Fish. Playing with Fire’), is one of the most characteristic projects that he has done over the years. Robert Kranenborg, head chef at Hotel-Restaurant Corona in The Hague, entrusted Van Leeuwen with the task of creating photo illustrations for each of the recipes. The photos made for this book profess originality, daring and fantasy. In most cookbooks, entries are typically photographed with great embellishment, but very little fantasy. Van Leeuwen, by contrast, carefully arranges the ingredients for every dish, creating modern still lifes in which the fresh fish itself becomes the main feature. Many of the photos taken are instilled with various references to art history or modern-day trifles.
In one case, the photo originated from a preconceived idea. In the other, it was from a chance association or a striking, but unexpected, coming together of elements that would ultimately determine the final image. He was making photography that was ‘culinary critique’, as Van Leeuwen described it in his own words.
The materials Van Leeuwen uses in making his still lifes is not only limited to material that are perishable. He collects rubbish and waste materials, spare parts, housewares, and knickknacks for this purpose, making regular use of his ‘junk’ supply.
In countless experiments, Van Leeuwen has placed himself on the periphery of photography. His interpretation of the term ‘writing with light’ is therefore interpreted quite broadly. Starting in the 1970s, he carried out experiments involving the direct exposure of photo paper to light, without the intervening of a camera. These experiments were not only limited to the dark room, as vacant spaces were also used to deal with photo paper that was metres in length. In a darkened room he would wrap long strips of photo paper around himself, packaged housewares or covered tapering columns and then turn on the light just for a moment. Unpredictable, almost abstract bands of light were marked on the places where the contact between the photo paper and the physical matter had blocked out the light. Based on the final image, the photographic process can be analysed, as it were. The same applies for the principle of the camera obscura. He implemented this principle by sawing both a horizontal and a vertical slit in the dividing wall between two adjacent studio spaces. In the one space he briefly exposed a nude female model to light. In so doing, her portrait was captured from head to toe on a large sheet of photo linen mounted in the other space.
The resulting images had, respectively, a wide (horizontal) and a narrow (vertical) appearance. With the lighting at the cross, the image remained uniform in ‘composition’.
In the 1970s, Van Leeuwen began to work with one of the first available photocopying machines—one that worked based on electrostatic transmission. Shortly thereafter, he acquired a colour-photocopying machine (type: Mita, with fluid toners for zinc-oxide paper). This allowed him to copy existing photos or to carefully arrange objects on the photocopier’s glass surface. These machines also allowed him to manipulate colour and give what was depicted another material quality. It was not uncommon for him to submit a print from a photocopier as the final work of art.
A portion of Van Leeuwen’s photography was made without the use of standard equipment, i.e. a camera with negative film. The camera obscura, the photocopying machine, the Polaroid camera and the photogram are methods that result in a direct image. The black-and-white photograms, made with the assistance of ‘blister packing’ (semi-transparent plastic material used to package articles for everyday use) that was placed between the light source and the photo paper, are the austere counterparts, in a formal sense, of many of Van Leeuwen’s colourful, and sometimes spectacular, scenes. The photo paper is exposed to light through this material. As a result of this exposure, the plastic form of the blister packing is printed onto the flat photo paper. Because the form is reminiscent of the packaging’s previous contents (light bulbs, kitchen utensils, bonbons, etc.), it is difficult to tell exactly what it is. But such matters are of no interest to Van Leeuwen. On the contrary, the resulting visual quality speaks for itself.
Van Leeuwen has worked with a variety of cameras. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he used a Cambo 4×5 inch, an Agfa-Clack 6×9, a Rolleiflex 6×6, various 35 mm cameras, a Kodak Disc (a very small negative format, allowing one to obtain a high depth of focus), a Brooks Veriwide with a 6×9 negative format, a Super Polaroid with the format 50×65 cm, and a Topcon RE Super, the first single-lens reflex camera with through-the-lens metering. Van Leeuwen named his first exhibition at the Lantaren/Venster Gallery in Rotterdam after this last camera, giving it the title: Het geheim van de Topcon (‘The Secret of the Topcon’). The exhibition consisted of shots taken of various components of the camera, which he had taken apart. To this day, Van Leeuwen still makes use of this camera on a regular basis, with the same amount of ease and enthusiasm. For the last fifteen years, however, he mainly photographs with a 35 mm camera, the Nikon F2.
In Piet van Leeuwen’s working method, form and style are continually influenced by his creativity and inventiveness. As such, one rarely encounters mannerisms or stylisation. Van Leeuwen likes to poke fun at conventional notions of art. The humoristic undertone found in his work serves to temper the seriousness that generally surrounds the arts. Although it was never Van Leeuwen’s intention, one could today qualify some aspects of his work as being ‘camp’. To an important extent, his work displays the enormous potential of photography as an expressive form of visual art.
Documentation
Primary bibliography
Van (januari 1976) 1.
Van (december 1977) 2.
Van (medio 1978) 3.
Artvan (februari/maart 1979) 1.
Artvan (december 1979) 2.
Artvan (medio 1981) 3.
Piet van Leeuwen, in Catalogus tent. Geen commentaar, Amsterdam (Nederlandse Kunst Stichting) Amsterdam 1982, ongepag.
Rotterdam anno 1988. Woorden en daden, in Avenue 23 (januari 1988) 1, p. 54-65 (met foto’s).
in Zero:
Beeld dat blijft, 2 (september 1980) 5, p. 15.
De betere tijdschriften, 2 (oktober 1980) 6, p. 17.
Erotiek in leer, 2 (november 1980) 7, p. 12.
Nederlanders doen het stiekem in de doka, 2 (november 1980) 7, p. 88-92.
De vrouw als inspiratiebron, 2 (december 1980) 8, p. 19.
Wenken voor uw eigen persfototheek, 3 (maart 1981) 1, p. 20.
Verrassende tijdschriften over fotografie, 3 (april 1981) 2, p. 19.
Een brug teveel. De Willemsbrug 1878-1981, 3 (mei 1981) 3, p. 74-79.
Oude en nieuwe Duitse fotografie, 3 (mei 1981) 3, p. 129-130.
De misleidende eenvoud van Paul den Hollander, 3 (zomer 1981) 4, p. 129-130.
De ernst van de lollige foto, 3 (september 1981) 5, p. 20.
Mysterieuze familieportretten, 3 (winter 1981/1982) 8,p. 18.
‘MS Fountain’. De droomcamera van Hense Boekhout, 4 (maart 1982) 1, p. 18.
‘Time-gap’ in Siena, 42 (april 1982) 2, p. 16.
images in:
Catalogus tent. Fotoprijs Amsterdam, Amsterdam (Stedelijk Museum) 1967, afb. 24-26 (Catalogus nr. 418).
H. Vervoort en G. Heymenberg (samenstelling), Klein Nederlands soldatenboek, Amsterdam (Thomas Rap) 1968.
Loeloe september 1969 – augustus 1971.
Panorama december 1969 – december 1977.
Libelle april 1970-juni 1975.
Art Directors’ Index to Photographers Two, Londen (Chapman Morris Williams Ltd.) 1971, p. 236.
Nueva Lente (oktober 1973) 20, p. 67-72.
Photographis 1974, p. 207.
Jorge Rueda, Quatro anos de photographia, Madrid (Ediciones Nueva Lente) 1975, p. 186-189.
Homes and Gardens 56 (juni 1975) 12, omslag.
Nueva Lente (september 1978) 79, p. 30-37.
Rommert Boonstra, Droomwereld als verborgen verleider. Fotografie in opdracht, in Elseviers Magazine 30 juni 1979, p. 78-80.
Mandala (1979) III/I, p. 35-38, 111-114, 141-144.
Eriek Verpale, Een meisje uit Odessa, Haarlem (In de Knipscheer) 1979, omslag.
Zero 1 (mei 1979) 1-2 (oktober 1980) 6.
Mandala (1980) IV/2,p. 162-179.
Zero 3 (april 1981) 2, p. 112-113.
Zero 3 (zomer 1981) 4, p. 67.
Catalogus tent. The Printed Photograph (Photokina), Keulen 1984.
Wina Born, De keuken van Avenue, z.p. (Het Spectrum) 1985, p. 78-79.
Foto 40 (december 1985) 12, p. 38.
Catalogus tent. A priori fotografie, Amsterdam (Gebouw Stichting Makkom) 1986, p. 64-65.
Catalogus tent. Zeven stipendia (in kader van Bijdrageregeling Provinciale Bevordering Beeldende Kunst, BPBK) 1986, p. 8-9.
Foto 41 (september 1986) 9, p. 39.
Foto 41 (oktober 1986) 10, p. 59.
Het nieuwe Rotterdam, Rotterdam (Bureau voorlichting Gemeente Rotterdam) 1988.
Kampioen 103 (september 1988) 9, p. 26-36.
Flying Dutchman International mei/juni 1989, p. 11-13.
Panorama 26 (juni 1989), p. 58-59.
Adriaan Monshouwer e.a. (hoofdred.), De wereld van de KLM in 24 uur, z.p. (Amstelveen) (KLM) z.j. (1989), p. 24.
Catalogus Beeldende Kunst Biennale Noord-Holland, Middenmeer 1989, p. 39.
Harm Botman (red.), ‘Het beslissende moment. 150 Jaar fotografie’, Panorama (22 juni – 30 juni 1989) 26, speciale bijlage bij het 75-jarig jubileum van Panorama, p. 58-59.
Catalogus tent. Op reportage, 25 jaar Avenue reisfotografie, Amsterdam/Den Haag (Focus/SDU) 1990, p. 90.
Photographie mei 1990, p. 91, 93.
Kunstlijn/Dutch Artline [vouwblad], z.p. (Stichting Beeldenroute Overijssel) 1990.
Robert Kranenborg, Vis. Spelen met vuur, Den Haag (Fresco Press) 1991.
P/FProfessionele Fotografie (1991) 4, p. 14-15.
Haarlems Dagblad 5 juni 1991, omslag.
Casino 8 (winter 1991/1992) 4, p. 6-11.
NRC Handelsblad 28 december 1991.
Catalogus tent. Meesterlijk gedekt, Oss (Museum Jan Cunencentrum) 1992.
Tableau. Fine Arts Magazine 15 (april 1993) 5, p. 60.
View on Colour, the colour forecastingmagazine (oktober 1994) 5, p. 52-59.
in Avenue:
2 (augustus 1967) 8,p. 26-33.
7 (augustus 1972) 8, p. 54, 57.
7 (september 1972) 9, omslag, p. 54-61.
7 (oktober 1972) 10, p. 162-169, 226-227.
8 (januari 1973) 1, p. 38-39.
8 (april 1973) 4, p. 28-29, 34-39.
8 (december 1973) 12, p. 132, 134, 136.
9 (augustus 1974) 8, p. 24-28.
9 (oktober 1974) 10, p. 90, 92.
9 (november 1974) n , p . 154, 156.
10 (april 1975) 4, omslag, p. 166, 168, 171.
10 (juni 1975) 6, p. 70-73.
10 (augustus 1975) 8, p. 94-97.
13 (oktober 1978) 10, p. 248.
13 (december 1978) 12, p. 58-61.
14 (augustus 1979) 8, p. 44.
14 (november 1979) 11, p. 76-77.
15 (april 1980)4, p. 32.
18 (maart 1983) 3, p. 158-159.
18 (april 1983) 4, p. 126-127.
18 (augustus 1983) 8, p. 62-65.
19 (februari 1984) 2, p. 60-61.
19 (maart 1984) 3, p. 52-55.
19 (mei 1984) 5, p. 114-115.
22 (maart 1987) 3, p. 54-57.
23 (januari 1988) 1,p. 67-69.
25 (augustus 1990) 8, p. 60-68.
26 (juli 1991) 7, p. 78.
Secondary bibliography
Fred den Ouden, Piet van Leeuwen + Wout Berger = 2 nieuwe sterren aan het mode firmament, in Focus 52 (21 juli 1967) 15, omslag, p. 14-17 (met foto’s),
fh (= Fred Hazelhoff), Fotografen en hun werk. Piet van Leeuwen, in Foto 26 (juni 1971) 6, p. 22-29.
Auteur onbekend, Informatie Fotografie, in PZC [Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant] 23 Juni 1978.
Bas Roodnat, Herontdekking van de camera obscura brengt weinig nieuws, in NRC Handelsblad 27 juni 1978.
Cees Straus, Piet van Leeuwen terug naar begin fotografie, in Haarlems Dagblad 1 juli 1978.
Cees Strauss, Technische perfectie met humor bestreden, in Haarlems Dagblad 3 juli 1978.
Louis Ferron, Gemeente aankopen, heet hangijzer, in Haarlems Dagblad 3 juli 1979.
Catalogus Rijksaankopen 1984, Den Haag (Rijksdienst Beeldende Kunst) 1985, p. 182-183 (met foto’s).
Auteur onbekend, Piet van Leeuwen fotowerken, in Tableau. Fine Arts Magazine 7 (april/mei 1985) 5, p. 76.
Pauline Terreehorst, Kleine galeries stimuleren vrije fotografie, in de Volkskrant 30 april 1985.
Herman Hoeneveld, Een uitweg in hevigheid, in Kunstbeeld 9 (mei 1985) 7, p. 46-47.
Rommert Boonstra, Fotografie/Piet van Leeuwen bij Torch, in Elseviers Magazine 11 mei 1985.
John Oomkes, Napels onder vulkaan en mafïa, in Haarlems Dagblad 20 mei 1985.
Catalogus Rijksaankopen 1985, Den Haag (Rijksdienst Beeldende Kunst) 1986, p. 9.
Catalogus tent. Fotografia Buffa. Geënsceneerde fotografie in Nederland, Groningen (Groninger Museum) 1986, p. 92, 106-109.
Catalogus Foto Biennale Enschede, Enschede 1986, p. 51, 71.
Catalogus tent. 50 Jahre moderne Farbfotografie 1936-1986 (Photokina), Keulen 1986, p. 108, 332.
Rolf Bos en Pauline Terreehorst, Het brood op de plank, in de Volkskrant 16 mei 1986, p. 20.
Arjen Ribbens, Een stapeling van ingrediënten, in Trouw 19 december 1987.
Catalogus Fotografie in Rotterdamse galeries [verschenen t.g.v. de eerste Rotterdamse Fotografiebiënnale], Rotterdam 1988, p. 70-71, 92.
Rob Smolders, Piet van Leeuwen, in NRC Handelsblad 26 augustus 1988, Cultureel Supplement, p. 6.
Catalogus Nederlandse Kunst Rijksaankopen 1989, Den Haag (Rijksdienst Beeldende Kunst) 1990, p. 110-111 (met foto’s).
Nuel Gieles, Piet van Leeuwen mag een dag met dikke Bertha, in Haarlems Dagblad 20 juli 1989.
Nuel Gieles, Fotograaf verbaast Polaroid, in Haarlems Dagblad 3 augustus 1989.
Auteur onbekend, Fotograaf Piet van Leeuwen, in Avenue 24 (november 1989) 11, p. 118-119.
Leo Divendal, Speuren naar geur en hondsdraf, in Haarlems Dagblad 12 juni 1990.
Jan J. van der Schans (red.), 32 Fotografen die hun persoonlijke voorkeur in beeld brengen oog in oog met fotograaf Henk Gerritsen, Zoetermeer (P/F Publishing) 1991, p. 64-65.
Ingeborg Th. Leijerzapf e.a. (tekst), Het beslissende beeld. Hoogtepunten uit de Nederlandse fotografie van de 20e eeuw, Amsterdam (BIS) 1991, p. 134, 200.
FG (= Frits Gierstberg), Piet van Leeuwen (recensie), in Perspektief (mei 1991) 41, p. 73.
Homme Siebenga, Piet van Leeuwen zet z’n tanden in vis, in Haarlems Dagblad 5 juni 1991.
John Oomkes, Nooit meer onverschillig tegenover vis, in Haarlems Dagblad 13 november 1991.
Jan Zumbrink, Zweethoofden en citroenen, in Haarlems Dagblad 27 december 1991.
Linda Roodenburg (samenstelling), Fotowerk. Fotografie in opdracht 1986-1992, Rotterdam (Uitgeverij 010) 1992, p. 102-105, 145, 158.
Louis Ferron, Raadselachtig, komisch en verontrustend, in Elsevier 48 (oktober 1992) 42, p. 124-127 (met foto’s).
Frits Gierstberg, Fotografie en beeldende kunst, in Catalogus tent. Vrij Spel, Nederlandse kunst 1970-1990, Amsterdam (Meulenhoff) 1993, p. 117.
Frank van der Stok, Het aanzien van de fotografie, in Bulletin (Nijmeegs Museum Commanderie van St. Jan) 2 (februari 1993), omslag, p. 23, 27-29 (met foto’s).
Frank van der Stok, Vrij Spel, in Vitrine maart 1993, omslag, p. 40-41 (met foto’s).
Jelle Gunneweg, Artistieke impuls voor Visserijmuseum, in Rotterdams Dagblad 9 juni 1994.
Stilleven, Den Haag (Federatie Kunstuitleen (FKU)) 1994, p. 12-13 (met ansichtkaart).
Auteur onbekend, Stilleven nader bekeken op de Dag van de Kunstuitleen, in Algemeen Dagblad 3 november 1994.
Karin van Munster, De Regenten van het Elizabeth Gasthuis, in Trouw 11 februari
Memberships
Programmeringscommissie voor collectievorming Beeldende Kunst Binnenland van de Nederlandse Kunststichting te Amsterdam, 1980-1983.
Afdeling Beeldende Kunst, Architectuur en Vormgeving van de Raad van de Kunst, (kroonlid) 1983-1989.
GKf, ca. 1980-heden.
Awards
1959 Eerste prijs, Landelijke Jeugdfotowedstrijd getiteld: “Richt uw lens op de werkende mens…”
1968 Eerste prijs, Textilia-Texpress modefotoprijs Benelux. Modefoto’s van het jaar (ad-hoc samenwerking met Wout Berger).
1972 Zilveren Rizolli Award, Italië (naar aanleiding van campagne Nationale Publiciteits Onderneming, Den Haag).
1973 De Erich Salomon-prijs (voor bijdragen aan Avenue).
1974 Zilveren medaille, Art Directors’ Club, New York (voor bijdragen aan Avenue).
1992 Plantin Moretusprijs (prijs voor de bestverzorgde Nederlandstalige boeken in België) voor het boek Vis. Spelen met vuur.
Exhibitions
1967 (g) Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Fotoprijs Amsterdam.
1974 (e) Amsterdam, Theo Stokkink Galerie, Haarlems Blauw.
1974 (g) New York, Art Director’s Club of New York, The One Show.
1977 (e) Rotterdam, Lantaren/Venster, Het geheim van de Topcon.
1978 (e) Haarlem, Frans Halsmuseum/Vishal, Over fotografie.
1978 (g) Haarlem, Frans Halsmuseum, Gemeente-aankopen.
1979 (g) Haarlem, Frans Halsmuseum, Gemeente-aankopen.
1980 (g) Haarlem, Frans Halsmuseum, Gemeente-aankopen.
1980 (g) New York, The Association of International Photography Art Dealers.
1980 (g) Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, GKf beroepsvereniging van fotografen en VES vereniging van edelsmeden en sieraadontwerpers.
1981 (g) Haarlem, Frans Halsmuseum, Gemeente-aankopen.
1981 (e) Haarlem, Galerie De Tijd.
1981 (g) Haarlem, Frans Halsmuseum, Facet ’81, fotografie.
1981/1982 (g) Londen, The National Theatre, European Photography.
1981/1982 (g) Parijs, FNAC, European Photograpy.
1982 (g) Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, GKf fotografen exposeren.
1982 (g) Den Haag, School voor Fotografie en Fotonica mts.
1982 (g) Heemskerk, Ateliervereniging “De Schoorsteen”.
1982 (g) Haarlem, (diverse scholen), Moderne Kunst in de school.
1982/1983 (g) Amsterdam, De Nederlandse Kunststichting, ‘Geen Commentaar’ – fotografen als ooggetuigen van agressie en geweld, (rondreizende tentoonstelling).
1983 (g) Haarlem, SBK, Mailart International.
1984 (g) Keulen, The Printed Photograph (Photokina).
1984 (g) Rotterdam, Perspektief, Verlichte Fotografie.
1985 (g) Den Haag, Rijksdienst Beeldende Kunst, Rijksaankopen.
1985 (g) Bradford, Museum for Photography, Film and Video, The Printed Photograph.
1985 (e) Amsterdam, Galerie Torch, Piet van Leeuwen fotowerken. Il Vesuvio e l’Omerta.
1986 (e) Heemstede, Galerie De Bleeker, The Invisibles.
1986 (g) Amsterdam, Gebouw Stichting Makkom, A priori fotografie.
1986 (g) Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, 100 meter foto (GKf).
1986 (g) Enschede, Rijksmuseum Twente, Foto Biënnale.
1986 (g) Keulen, 50 Jahre moderne Farbfotografie 1936-1986 (Photokina).
1986 (g) Haarlem, Frans Halsmuseum, Zeven stipendia (in kader van de BPBK).
1986 (g) Groningen, Groninger Museum, Fotografia Buffa.
1987 (e) Amsterdam, Galerie Torch (kleurkopieën).
1987 (g) Amsterdam, Galerie Torch.
1987 (g) Amsterdam, RAI, KunstRai (presentatie Galerie Torch).
1987 (g) Bonn, Rheinisches Landesmuseum, Fotografia Buffa.
1987 (g) Groningen, Groninger Museum, Zomeropstelling.
1987 (g) Middenmeer, Beeldende Kunst Biënnale van Noord-Holland.
1987 (g) Helmond, Gemeentemuseum ‘t Meyhuis, Fotografia Buffa.
1987 (g) Keulen, Galerie Gugo Ernesto, Fotografia Buffa.
1988 (e) Rotterdam, RAM Galerie, Piet van Leeuwen. Fotowerken.
1988 (g) Rotterdam, Perspektief, Big Photo Boogaloo.
1989 (e) Rotterdam, Lantaren/Venster, Super Polaroids.
1989 (g) Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, De fotoruil/De andere keuze (GKf-tentoonstelling).
1989 (g) Haarlem, Café Jeltes.
1989 (g) Haarlem, Drukkerij Planeta, Een keuze uit de collectie van het Frans Halsmuseum.
1989 (g) Leer (Duitsland), Volkshochschule, International Polaroid Collection.
1989 (g) Moskou, Foto ’89.
1989 (g) Haarlem, Galerie Tanya Rumpff, Fotowerken.
1989 (g) Purmerend, Museum Waterland, Beeldende Kunst Biennale van Noord-Holland.
1989 (e) Haarlem, De Penclub.
1989 (e) Zandvoort, Casino Zandvoort, (stillevens).
1989 (g) Rotterdam, Centrum Beeldende Kunst, De collectie Fotografie.
1990 (g) Amsterdam, De Moor, Mijn belangrijkste foto van 1989.
1990 (g) Haarlem, Frans Halsmuseum/Vleeshal, Gemeente-aankopen Haarlem.
1990 (g) Offenbach (Duitsland), Polaroid Galerie, International Polaroid Collection.
1990 (g) Groningen, USVA-fotogalerie, DubbelDruk (Fotomanifestatie Noorderlicht).
1990 (e) Rotterdam, Galerie Fotomania, Fossielen van de moderne tijd.
1990 (e) Velsen, Felison/Beeckestein, Natuurwerken.
1990 (g) Amsterdam, Canon Image Center, Op reportage, 25 jaar Avenuereisfotografie.
1990 (g) Haarlem, Frans Halsmuseum/Vleeshal, Kunstlijn 1990.
1991 (g) Amsterdam, De Moor, Mijn belangrijkste foto van 1990.
1991 (e) Haarlem, Schouten & De Vries.
1991 (g) Haarlem, Frans Halsmuseum/Vleeshal, Gemeente-aankopen Haarlem.
1991 (g) Amsterdam, Nieuwe Kerk, Het beslissende beeld. Hoogtepunten uit de Nederlandse fotografie van de 20e eeuw (collectie Dutch Photography).
1991/1992 (g) Haarlem, Van-Mail, (Het Jan-Willem-Piet-project, samenwerkingsverband tussen Jan-Willem Post en Piet van Leeuwen).
1992 (e) Haarlem, Frans Halsmuseum/Vishal, Vis.
1992 (g) Enschede, Rijksmuseum Twente, De mensen en de dingen.
1992 (g) Roermond, Gemeentemuseum Roermond, De mensen en de dingen.
1992 (g) Amsterdam, Galerie Torch, Discount Show.
1992 (g) Amsterdam, Beurs van Berlage, Fotowerk.
1992 (g) Nijmegen, Stichting Beeldende Kunst, Goede Sier, aspecten van het decoratieve in de eigentijdse beeldende kunst.
1992 (g) Zutphen, Stichting Beeldende Kunst, Goede Sier, aspecten van het decoratieve in de eigentijdse beeldende kunst.
1992 (g) Doetinchem, Stichting Beeldende Kunst, Goede Sier, aspecten van het decoratieve in de eigentijdse beeldende kunst.
1992 (g) Haarlem, Galerie Schouten & De Vries, Verder dan foto.
1992 (e) Haarlem, Caféjeltes, 8 verschillende installaties.
1992 (g) Oss, Museum Jan Cunencentrum, Meesterlijk gedekt.
1993 (g) Nijmegen, Nijmeegs Museum Commanderie van St. Jan, Vrij Spel. Hedendaagse Nederlandse fotografie 1970-1990.
1993 (g) Groningen, Kwadrant, Centrum Beeldende Kunst, Vrij Spel. Hedendaagse Nederlandse fotografie 1970-1990.
1994 (e) Vlaardingen, Visserijmuseum, Vis-a-Vis: Bivalvia.
1994 (g) Groningen, Centrum Beeldende Kunst, Stilleven.
1994 (g) Tilburg, Stichting Beeldende Kunst, Stilleven.
Sources
Haarlem, Piet van Leeuwen, mondelinge informatie en documentatie.
Leiden, Prentenkabinet, bibliotheek en documentatiebestand.
Collections
Amsterdam, Art Unlimited.
Amsterdam, Stichting Dunhill Dutch Photography.
Arnhem, Stichting Beeldende Kunst.
Den Haag, Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken.
Den Haag, Rijksdienst Beeldende Kunst.
Groningen, Centrum Beeldende Kunst.
Groningen, Groninger Museum.
Haarlem, Elizabeth Gasthuis/Kennemer Ziekenhuis.
Haarlem, Frans Halsmuseum.
Haarlem, Gemeente Haarlem.
Haarlem, Lumiance Bedrijfscollectie.
Leer (Duitsland), Ostfriesischen Graphothek.
Leiden, Prentenkabinet van de Rijksuniversiteit Leiden.
Offenbach, Polaroid International Collection.
Oss, Gemeentemuseum.
Rotterdam, Centrum Beeldende Kunst.
Tilburg, Kunstuitleen.
Velsen, Gemeente Velsen.
Zwolle, Stichting Beeldenroute Overijssel.