Starring : Chas Gerretsen

The Nederlands Fotomuseum presents: Starring Chas Gerretsen, the first retrospective exhibition of the work of Dutch photographer Chas Gerretsen. Since the beginning of the 1990s, Gerretsen’s archive has been stored at the Nederlands Fotomuseum’s facilities. In addition to his famous photographs, the exhibition will feature an extensive selection of previously unseen work. Chas Gerretsen’s oeuvre touches on important themes: is there such a thing as objective journalism? Are photographers allowed to take a stand on a topic? Can a photograph be guilty of something? The war in Vietnam, the coup in Chile but also images of celebrities like John Travolta and Dennis Hopper all are part of Gerretsen’s career as a photographer.

This exhibition portrays Gerretsen his versatility. He worked as a war photographer in Vietnam and was in Chile during the coup in 1973 coup against President Salvador Allende. Chas Gerretsen was the only Dutchman to receive the prestigious Robert Capa Gold Medal for exceptional bravery. Chas Gerretsen later settled in Hollywood where he photographed celebrities like John Travolta. He also was the photographer on the set of the film Apocalypse Now, Francis Coppola's masterpiece. In this film Dennis Hopper plays a war photographer, based on the story of Chas Gerretsen. In 1989 Chas Gerretsen ended his career as a photographer. Since then he has sailed the world on his boat.