RICHARD AVEDON

Yesterday was the opening of the Avedon photo exhibition in FOAM Amsterdam. A good opportunity to see the impressive work of this important 20st century photographer before it will be shipped to the VS at the end of May.

Beyond the Taj Mahal

"Incredible India" is the slogan in the TV commercial for tourist India. Incredible, India is for sure. In the film "Slumdog Millionaire" we are witness of the life and andventures of Jamal Malik from the slums of Mumbai. And although the people in the film are characters, and the slums they live in is a filmset you can't help beeïng overwhelmed by the incredible poorness and inhumane struggle of daily life. Lucky for the benign Jamal there is a possible escape. A wonderful story and a peak behind the tourist India.

mimosa

Mimosa belongs to February. Every year at the end of January I'm starting to look out for it. This year it is available in different types. With a little bunch of fuchia-coloured anemones and the yellow mimosa, combined with the green base of last week's saturday flowers, I made this new bouquet.

Mancora

Emma's last Peruvian stop before she flies home to cold and windy Amsterdam.

het vrije schaap

The television highlight of my week is the series "Camping het vrije schaap".
It is a lighthearted comedy in a typically Dutch setting in the fifties. A strong cast, oldtime quality songs and a brilliant director. Probably not at all appealing to "the not Dutch" but it makes my fridays.

touch of spring

machu picchu

I asked Emma for an Alpaca-photo. Here it is. Taken yesterday.

flowers for Pienke

Last goodbye to a very dear aunt .

thora in pink

The enchanting Thora Egidius, painted by A. Piersch in 1909.
While visiting the canalhouse museum van Loon, this pink picture caught my eye.

negen straatjes II

Which window belongs to Johnny ? If we may believe the information, Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis recently bought an appartement in this building. I feel like a real papparazza.

negen straatjes

I'm lucky to live around the corner from "De negen straatjes" (the nine small streets) in the heart of Amsterdam. This shopping area with attractive little shops and a creative inspiring atmosphere is becoming more and more popular. You could say that's a good thing but I am afraid that its popularity will spoil the market. Rumour says that big commercial companies show more than normal interest in this neighbourhood. Lets's hope that somone or something will stop this development so that these streets don't lose their charme.

BARACK OBAMA DAY

19

Today, nineteen years ago I gave birth to my daughter Emma. In nineteen years this is the first birthday without a cake, balloons and garlands. Emma is breaking away from home and childhood at the other side of the world. Leaving me sentimental but proud.

Entre les murs

An impressive French film about one year in a classroom filled with puberty of different cultures in a Parisian suburb. The students are all non professional actors who, brilliantly directed by Laurent Cantet, show 100% believable characters. There's a lot in this film that triggers discusion. The vulnerability of the teacher is shocking. And how on earth can you create an atmosphere where you can do what you want to do; teaching your subject. It is a constant struggle and a daily fight. It makes you wonder why someone wants to become a teacher at all. It cannot be the high salary or the early retirement.

birdies

These cute little birds are continuously changing colours. Little smiley presents to give away. For sale at the HEMA

FOAM 2008

Foam_Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam presenteert op 15 januari 2009 Foam Album 08 met een feestelijke lancering. Foam Album 08 is een rijk beeldverslag van wat Foam in 2008 te bieden had en tegelijkertijd een fraai fotoboek met verrassend werk van bekende en minder bekende fotografen.

Hats on for Rembrandt

"I started working on the hat without a design. Meanwhile, I looked in the mirror every now and then. I'm not shy. My mother often take pictures of me. I like to have my mouth closed when somebody takes my picture. The photographer said: "You look like a queen.' When I saw the photo, I immediately thought: I'll put it in my room. On the inside of my closetdoor. I like it better than ordinairy photos. Because I made the hat myself. And light is in my eyes. One eye is darker than the other eye. Actually I have dark brown eyes, really dark. My parents loved the photo. My father put it in his mobile phone. The hat is in our storeroom now. Rembrandt would have said: "It looks like a real Rembrandt' . Everything is Rembrandt, except for my face."
Dilian Balkan

What would Rembrandt do with a digital camera? With this question as a startingpoint Photographer Marije van der Hoeven made portrets of more than threehundred children from different backgrounds. Together with hatdesigner Tineke Koelewijn the children designed a hat for themselves. A simple studio was improvised at school. The children posed with their hats on. Classmates took care of the lighting with torchlamps in the same light/darkness atmosphere that Rembrandt loved so much. The best photo's were used for a beautiful and very special book.A wonderful project with amazing results!

cold enough

for a nice fire

en retour

one week later

Fitz Roy

This is what Emma will see today on her journey through Patagonië.

Sabrina Starke

I like this girl from Rotterdam and her music

winterlight on the canal

The Herengracht in winterlight this afternoon.

Bariloche

Following her trail, this is the place where Emma is today.

Stunning landscape of Patagonië.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

h a p p y 2 0 0 9

visit

On this cold but sunny sunday I had tea with a friend in the horticultural garden of Amsterdam and I visited the sister of my mother in law who lives in a small but charming appartement in an old monumental building that has a lot of character. My mother in law, Nora, and her sister Vicky both have an eye for beautiful things and home decoration. It's always a treat to drink a cup of tea in their nice homes.

IGUAZU

My daughter Emma, still in Argentina, is visiting the Iguazu waterfalls on the border with Brazil. She's going places!! And so am I, virtually, thanks to Sir David Attenborough,love him, and You Tube. Enjoy!

AVEDON

Richard Avedon - Photographs 1946 – 200413 februari t/m 13 mei 2009

This first retrospectif of Richard Avedon is unique for several reasons.This exibition is shown on just six locations worldwide. After Kopenhagen, Milan, Paris en Berlin, Amsterdam is the last location in Europe where you can see this exibition. FOAM offers you the possibility to see this amount of photos of one of the most important American photographers of the last century. Also Avedon wrote in his will that after his death no more prints of his negatives can be made. This means that there is a limited amount of his work available. Only prints that were made during his life and selected by himself can be seen. Working together closely with the Richard Avedon Foundation, it was possible to show this unique collection to the public.

merryXmas

Kerstzegels

Seasonsgreetings from Holland go into an envelop with a special stamp. Every year a designer/illustrator has the honour of designing these Christmasstamps. This year it was Jet van der Horst.

Beautiful pictures

take a look at the jumping roe deer,

my favourite

www.laurent-geslin.com

saturday 29/11/08 2.40 pm

nice

For a hint of esthetic nostalgia click here

winterwonderwalk in Amsterdam Jordaan

psychoPEDIA

I love to stumble upon surprises while I'm surfing on the net. "MY TOWN" stories was one of those surprises. You'll find them at psychoPEDIA. Not a blogtitle I would go to immediately .

However, curious to the best adress In Buenos Aires to eat steak, the name 647 dinnerclub kept appearing. It's owner, Terry Walshe, is one of the "MY TOWN" storytellers. One thing leads to another.

The best way to describe psychoPEDIA is to find in "about us". :

psychoPEDIA is a multi-media platform for an array of creative contributors to showcase their work, in turn giving readers and viewers behind-the-scenes access to their worlds.

new york bull

CRISIS, WHAT CRISIS ?

urban outfitters

One of the most important discoveries that my daughter did in New York the last few days is the Urban Outfitters Store. Supercool. They have everything an eightteen year old can wish for. Ofcourse I googeld to see for myself. mmmm some things I like but I think I belong to another targetgroup. So much is clear.

The police is your best friend

picture

Emma in New York, the first day

the best of NY

Since a part of me is in NY these days I'm drawn to whatever the world wide web tells me about the Big Apple. For example the Best of New York site is a joy to travel virtually.

frozen in NY

New York

Tomorrowmorning at 9.15 am, my Emma will be sitting in the plain that takes her to NY. I'll travel with her virtually. The next nine days a part of me will be in the big apple.

young@heart

saturdaymorningmarketflowers week 43

Helen Levitt

FOAM, the museum for photography in Amsterdam, where I work, just opened an exposition of the work of Helen Levitt. She started her career in 1939. Soon she became inspired by Henry Cartier Bresson and started to photograph people in the streets of NY. She's still alive, now 95 years old and lives a quiet live in the USA.

A week in the Provence

Back from a wonderful week in the French Provence.

Wereldagenda van Amsterdam

For everyone who lives in Amsterdam or just loves the city, we made the Amsterdam World Agenda 2009. It is the second edition of this Agenda, filled with useful information about the city and its very different population. Dates and descriptions of Special days of remembrance and festivity of many cultures you will find on the writing pages throughout the year. The best adresses for excotic restaurants, the Amsterdam markets, theatres, you name it, it is all in the agenda as well as some interviews with citizens with foreign backgrounds. A lovely birthday- or Christmaspresent for Amsterdamlovers.

Order via the website

http://www.wereldreisinamsterdam.nl/.

everybody

Perfect song for a melancholic moment.

saturdaymorningmarketflowers plus

Update of the bouquet I made on saturday. Somehow the dill I used, didn't cooperate. Instead I put the yellow heliantus, my mother brought from her own garden, between the lilly's. These sunny yellow flowers are from plants that my grandfather planted fifty years ago in my parents garden. As you can see they are still going strong.

saturdaymorningmarketflowers week 39

Again a wonderful autumnday. Lots and lots of people at the market and on the café terrasses enjoying the beautiful weather.

bright autumnday

Around my corner you find "De negen straatjes" or "The nine little streets". Restaurants, fashion, shoes, cakes and more. Today was a perfect day for a stroll. We visited the little streets and sat for an hour in the sun on a bench along the canal Prinsengracht.

no cars today

Cars were not allowed today. On this glorious, sunny sunday inhabitants and tourists celebrated Amsterdam on bikes, walking, on the crowded water in boats or in carriages drawn by horses. It was a happy day !

novastar

mum

My mother is blessed with eternal youth. Today is her 75th birthday. Yesterday she was the queen at her own birthdayparty for family and friends on a sunny sunday afternoon at a beautiful green location. I'm proud of her.