Het Stilleven in de Fotografie. Still Life in Photography. March 30 - May 13, 1984.

Rotterdamse Kunststichting (Rotterdam Arts Council), 1984. lllustrated wraps, 46 pages, including 13 plates, with a long essay by Mariette Haveman on Modernism and Postmodernism in photography, in both English and Dutch. Checklist of the exhibition included. Photographs by Tom Drahow; John Goto; Jan Groover; Dagmar Hartig; Frank Majore; Ruurd Van Der Noord; Olivia Parker; Don Rodan; Sandy Skoglund; Erica Uhlenbeck; Jacques Vilet; James Welling. Near fine with very slight wear at extremities.  Summary:

Het Stilleven in de Fotografie / Still Life in Photography (1984) is a bilingual exhibition catalog published by the Rotterdamse Kunststichting (Rotterdam Arts Council) to document an international group exhibition held from March 30 to May 13, 1984. The publication serves as an important critical survey examining how the classical art historical tradition of the still life was being reinterpreted through contemporary photography.

Key Elements of the Work

• The Conceptual Framework: The text (presented in both Dutch and English) explores the evolution of the still life from its roots in Dutch Golden Age painting to its mid-to-late 20th-century photographic manifestations. It investigates how artists shifted the genre away from mere objective documentation toward a playground for avant-garde experimentation, formal abstraction, and surrealism.

• The Diverse Roster: The catalog tracks a wide range of aesthetic approaches by indexing work from an international lineup of photographers. It bridges historical pioneers of the medium with contemporary 1980s artists, showcasing everything from meticulously arranged studio compositions to "found" street still lifes.

• Technical and Material Variety: The publication reflects a period of intense photographic experimentation. It highlights how different artists utilized varying processes—ranging from crisp, large-format black-and-white prints to vibrant dye-transfer color processes and altered mixed-media images—to challenge the traditional boundaries of the frame.

Narrative Intent

The catalog functions as a critical defense of the still life as a dynamic, modern genre rather than an archaic academic exercise. By compiling these diverse photographic practices, the Rotterdam Arts Council framed the photographic still life as a complex commentary on consumer culture, mortality (memento mori), and the transformative power of light and geometry on everyday objects.