In his work, Álvarez Bravo and Schalkwijk tend a bridge between Mexico and the Netherlands

▲ Bob Schakwijk will turn tomorrow 92. Here, an image of its authorship captured in San Juan Chamula, Chiapas, in 1960.Photo courtesy Casa Manuel Álvarez Bravo

Ángel Vargas

La Jornada newspaper
Monday, May 5, 2025, p. 2

On the eve of his 92 years, who will turn tomorrow, Bob Schakwijk is proud to stay active: “Of course I continue working. I have my camera in a place where it is not lost; it is digital. Right now I am playing With a Leica. I was leicacist. ”

The famous Dutch-Mexican photographer, recognized for his extensive work to document the culture, landscapes and indigenous communities of Mexico, currently participates in the exhibition Visions of Mexico and Holland, Inaugurated last Saturday at the Manuel Álvarez Bravo Archive house (Casa Mab), where it will remain until August.

In it he shares credits with that great Mexican teacher, considered one of the most important exponents of artistic photography in Latin America, each with 15 images, most in black and white.

Bob, as people go to him in love, attended the opening of the exhibition and did not supply himself to meet the requests to portray with him, dedicate copies of some of his books or simply greet and chat for a while.

Among the attendees were several important photographers, such as Lourdes Almeida, Rogelio Cuéllar and Pim Schalkwijk, one of his five children. He received them and attended smiling and good mood, as he also did with The day In a short interview.

– What is his feeling when he saw his work gathered with that of Maestro Álvarez Bravo?

−It is fabulous, because I met him many years ago, obviously; But never fine. But what I knew about him is that he was someone very kind, very wise; A fantastic man.

−Coincidated doing a similar job at the same time, each in the country of the other.

“That’s right.” He is Mexican and took photos in Holland, while I was born there, at the same time I dedicated myself to photographing this wonderful Mexico.

– What did you choose for this sample?

– Futs that more or less match those of Don Manuel, although, obviously, it is not achieved. One, because Holland and Mexico do not look very the same, they are different countries. The funny thing is that Don Manuel fascinated Holland, and me, Mexico.

– Are you working?

– Yes, I have my camera there, in a place where it is not lost; It is digital. Right now I am playing With a Leica. I was leicacist. ”

– What is your opinion of the current photography in relation to that of almost 70 years ago, time to which several of the images of the sample belong?

– What I see here is a simplicity in Don Manuel’s compositions, and I think I try to do the same. People today put many things, saturate their content images.

– Does photography with cell phones?

−No, it must always be with camera. I don’t like the cell phone a lot.

Views of Mexico and Holland: Manuel Álvarez Bravo/ Bob Schalkwijk He celebrates the meeting of two countries through the lens of both creators, whose works have contributed to strengthening ties between their respective cultures, exploring the identities that define them.

It is also a partyhighlights the room card. As an active archive, we are glad to promote this dialogue between two relevant trajectories and pay tribute to Bob Schakwijk’s career, a Dutch who, through his camera, has expressed a constant admiration for our land.

Integrated by 30 images, the exhibition is a visual and affective bridge between Mexico and the Netherlands from the look of that pair of photographers, who at the end of the 1950s traveled to those countries to capture their essence.

This exhibition is part of the Manuel Álvarez Bravo AC association – which this 2025 celebrates its twentieth anniversary – for Keep alive The archive of that distinguished Mexican creator (1902-2002), explains his daughter Aurelia.

The program includes three exhibitions per year, all with the presence of this author. The first, in dialogue with a young photographer, 20 or 30; The second, with a consecrated one, as is now with Bob Schackwijk, and the third, with the exclusive work of Álvarez Bravo.

“All will be integrated, for the most part, by unpublished and non -iconic photos of Álvarez Bravo, either ‘The beautiful sleeping ones’, as we tell those who have forgotten a little and that met a lot in the 70s or 80s (of the last century), and some rare, delicate, very special impressions, which have never left here,” says the director of that association.

Color rediscovery

One of the attractions of the current sample is that it includes examples of the color work of Álvarez Bravo, unusual aspect in the Mexican, according to the curator Claudia Perulles Schakwijk.

The color is very important because, although he tried to do it all his life, he was very expensive. It was until the 60s, when the resources became a little more accessible by the arrival of advertising photography, which made a lot of color; And also, because in Holland he rediscovered himhe explains.

He said in interviews that he saw the impressionists in front and made him want to make color again. In our files only one percent of Álvarez Bravo’s negatives are color. Of that set, most remain unpublished. In addition, much of those photos are from Holland.

According to the researcher, Álvarez Bravo is known only 10 percent of his work, a minimum part if the MAB house is considered 40 thousand negatives.

The purpose of the archive and research is to publicize the public other sides of their work. In 100 years that he lived and 80 that he photographed, he covered all the themes, all the techniques, all the cameras. We want to publicize that material, and we believe that this is the best place.

Casa MAB is in Holy Spirit 83, San Francisco, Coyoacán. Its schedules are Tuesday, Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The access cost is 200 pesos with a 50 percent discount for students and people with INAPAM credential.