Official celebrations, however boring, can sometimes lead to worthwhile initiatives. Although the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and Russia four hundred years ago is not necessarily a major historical event, it serves as the pretext for a fascinating exhibition, Primrose – Russian Colour Photography , at Foam, the photography museum in Amsterdam. Four rooms cover more than a century of History with a large ‘H,’ from the tsars and the underground to the Revolution of 1917, from the family album to glorification to clear provocation. Since the invention of photography, the dream has always been to get closer to reality through color, to be the painter’s equal and develop new aesthetics.

If there’s one complaint to be made about this astonishing show of spectacular, never-before-seen images presented with wonderful clarity, it’s this: after visiting the exhibition alone, I went back through it again in the company of Olga Sviblova, who established the Moscow House of Photography in 1996. The viewer would benefit from more information about how the exhibition was put together. Hopefully the catalogue will be able to compensate for this minor shortcoming.

Christian Caujolle

Read the full text on the French version of Le Journal.

Primerose, Russian Colour Photography
From January 25th to April 3rd, 2013
Foam
Keizersgracht 609
1017 DS Amsterdam
Netherlands
T +31 (0)20 5516500
Daily 10am - 6pm (Thursday & Friday 10am - 9pm)