Since 2017, Pennings Foundation has organized a Photo Book Fair in its own building every spring, with the exception of the corona years. It is a fair entirely dedicated to photo books, where collectors come looking for something specific and interested parties just come to see if there is something there. And also to see what is coming onto the market now. Publishers show recent publications. But photographers and artists who work with photographic images also present their new, often beautifully designed photo books.
This year's fair will take place on Saturday, May 25 and is open from 11:00 to 16:00. The fair is free for visitors.
Always special when the doors open at 11:00 and renowned collectors come in to pick the cherries from the pie. But in addition to buying and viewing, the fair is also interesting for making contacts, for example with publishers and photographers. And for inspiration…
Anyone who wants to sell photo books is welcome to rent a table at cost price. This makes the exhibitors very diverse, from antiquarians, publishers and booksellers to sellers of second-hand photo books and photographers and visual artists who want to present their own photo book.
Stand of Hollandse Beelden at Photo Book Fair 2018. Photo Book Fair 2017.
Coming fair
Curious who will occupy the stands this year? In any case, Jan Vandemoortele from Photobooks will be present again, as will Paul van Mameren from Lecturis publishers. Prior to the Photo Book Fair on Wednesday evening, May 22, Paul van Mameren will give a lecture on the history of the Dutch photo book and will discuss from his expertise as a publisher what it means to publish a photo book today. For information and registration see: Lezing - Paul van Mameren | Pennings Foundation
Many photographers have already reserved a table to present their new book. This includes Jasper Scheffers, who will sign his new book about the Eindhoven Ring Road.
There are also demonstrations at regular intervals. Photographers Reinier Gerritsen and Wil van Iersel present their own books and also give a flash performance every hour in which they show how to make a photo book. To do this, they use a drill and cotter pins, demolish a Blurb photo album and fold an A3 into a small magazine.
Library
The Pennings Foundation library is also entirely focused on photo books. The library contains approximately 6,000 books, of which approximately 4,000 Dutch photo books were acquired in 2019 through a donation from Adrie Mennen. A number of volunteers catalog the books in a national, digital system set up by the Nederlands Fotomuseum and to which other photo book libraries are also affiliated.
All monographs (photo books in the name of the photographer) from Adrie Mennen's donation have now been entered into the system. A great reason to officially open the library to the public. This will happen during the Photo Book Fair at 13:00, in the presence of Adrie Mennen.
Would you like to reserve a table for the photo book fair? That is possible, but be quick, because full is full. For information and registration see: Fotoboekenbeurs | Pennings Foundation
Photos FBF 2017: Rino Boersma, 2018: Adrie Mennen, 2019: Joep Eijkens, 2023: Julia van den Broek, Irma van Bommel. Photo library: Jeanne Rous-Heldens.