ROTTERDAM.- The first official edition of Haute Photographie took place last week at Rotterdam’s LP2 in Las Palmas. With a concept unlike any other, Haute Photographie took a museum-quality group exhibition as its starting point, bringing together a select group of international galleries. Participating in the launch edition of Haute Photographie were Esther Woerdehoff (Paris), Grundemark/Nilsson (Stockholm/Berlin), Howard Greenberg Gallery (New York), Ibasho Gallery (Antwerp) and Kahmann Gallery (Amsterdam).

The fair was met with wide acclaim. Wim Pijbes, former Director of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and Museum Voorlinden in Wassenaar, named Haute Photographie as “the first real boutique art fair in the Netherlands”. Hans and Deborah Riezebeek, private collectors, described the event as “an eclectic selection of beautiful photography, with something for everyone”, complementing the quality of the work on view as “astounding”. “An innovative fair, set up like a museum. A beautiful show.” concluded Jop Ubbens, fine art consultant. Dorothée Nilsson of Grundemark/Nilsson summarized the gallery’s experience: “As exhibitors, we were very pleased. The show looked fantastic, like a museum exhibition or an exclusive boutique fair. The audience was wonderful and we were happy about the sales. In addition to the great service and food, the excellent team spirit made it to what it is – a very convincing concept."Annemarie Zethof from Ibasho Gallery in Antwerp adds : "It was a joy to participate at Haute Photographie: the open layout of the fair and mixing of artists and gallerists created a very laid-back atmosphere for the visitors and participants. A unique forma! "

The 2017 edition of Haute Photographie welcomed over 5.000 visitors during the 5-day event. Across the galleries over 80 artworks were sold to private and corporate collections. Among them vintage photographs by artists including William Klein, Christer Strömholm, René Groebli and Gerard Fieret. Contemporary works by Stephan Vanfleteren and Koto Bolofo were especially favoured by the visitors, finding a home in multiple collections. Also the younger generation of artists was in high demand, with photographs by Laura Hospes, Inka & Niclas, Bas de Jager and Bastiaan Woudt being acquired by collectors.

Haute Photographie also provided a platform for 3 young, previously rarely exhibited talents from the Netherlands: Ramazan Barlas, Laura Kampman and Aisha Zeijpveld. Their work was met with enthusiasm from collectors and visitors alike. In addition, the educational program was a hit among guests, with all events being sold out.

Roy Kahmann, Director and Co-Founder of Haute Photographie: “I was taken by surprise by the overwhelming amount of positive responses from the visitors and by the shared success between the participating galleries. There was a true sense of collaboration. The same applies to the artists: we have built the fair together with them, offering the artists an ideal platform for presenting their work. The encouraging feedback from our visitors reinforced that our vision of an art fair is one that is both innovative and enjoyable. For the next edition, we wish to expand the concept even further, with an even greater variety of photography on show, again encapsulating both the history and the future of the medium.”