Nederlandse fotografen
Paris Mortel
Publicatiegegevens
| Auteur | Johan van der Keuken |
|---|---|
| Uitgever | DEBO |
| Plaats van uitgave | Hilversum |
| Jaar | 1963 |
| Druk | First edition |
| Bindwijze | hardcover |
| Taal | Nederlands |
| Dimensies | 220 x 290 x 19 |
| Pagina's | 22 pp. |
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Paris Mortel: Joan van der Keuken’s Mortal Modern City
Joan van der Keuken’s Paris Mortel is a landmark 1963 Dutch photobook that captures a city stripped of its romantic permanence. Published in Hilversum by C. de Boer Jr., the first edition is a hardcover quarto containing 65 black-and-white photogravures on Japan-fold leaves. Its significance lies in its rigorous sequence, which transforms postwar Paris into a profound study of work, class, and urban solitude.
A Photographer Between Stills and Cinema
Born in Amsterdam in 1938, the photographer—who later adopted the name Johan—studied at the Institut des Hautes Études Cinématographiques in Paris from 1956 to 1958. During this period, he became intensely engaged with the visual language of the city, capturing thousands of images.
The photographs selected for Paris Mortel date from October 1956 to August 1958. A key publication fact is that in 1963, a limited edition of 1,000 copies was released as a promotional gift, marking the book's early transition into a significant work of art.
The "Mortal" City: A Sequence of Pressure
Unlike the iconic, static views of the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre, van der Keuken’s Paris is a city of pressure and movement. The sequence navigates through streets, the Métro Saint-Michel, crowds, night scenes, children, demonstrations, and the Père-Lachaise cemetery. Specialists identify six distinct sections that explore how work, class difference, and collective movement define the metropolitan experience.
The title—“Mortal Paris”—is a deliberate rejection of the myth of an immortal, unchanging city. Instead, it presents a contingent and divided environment shaped by the daily lives of those living under the pressures of poverty, politics, and metropolitan isolation.
Layout as Meaning
The book’s achievement lies as much in its physical manufacture as in its imagery. The use of gravure printing provides a rich tonal range, while the French-fold pages and intentional use of empty space regulate the viewer's pace. By omitting continuous text and relying on the sequence of images, van der Keuken allows each photograph to resonate against the silence of the next, creating a cinematic flow of still images.
Context and Canon
Paris Mortel is frequently compared to William Klein’s New York (1956). While Klein captured American energy, van der Keuken infused a similar intensity with a distinctly European undertone of loneliness and desolation. The book is a staple of the photobook canon, appearing in definitive histories like Martin Parr and Gerry Badger’s The Photobook: A History, Volume I.
Collector’s Notes
Collectors should specifically seek out the 1963 first edition, characterized by:
- Binding: Grey cloth-covered boards.
- Dust Jacket: A blue printed dust jacket (often fragile and requiring careful preservation).
- Leaves: Folded in the Japanese or French-fold manner.
Distinguish this edition from later reworkings, such as Paris mortel retouché. Given the vulnerability of the gravure surfaces and the folded edges, copies should be inspected carefully for preservation.
Sources
- Leiden University, Depth of Field: Johan van der Keuken
- Eric Chaim Kline Books
- Josef Chladek
- Le Plac’Art Photo
