Fotomuseum Den Haag

The Fotomuseum Den Haag (The Hague Museum of Photography) is a photography museum in The Hague, Netherlands. Founded in 2002 as a spin-off from the Kunstmuseum Den Haag, it was established when then-director Wim van Krimpen determined that the parent museum's photography collection had grown sufficiently rich to warrant a separate institution. The museum occupies the Schamhart Wing, where it shares an entrance and space with KM21, the museum of contemporary art. As part of the Kunstmuseum organization, it functions as a dedicated venue for photographic art ranging from historical overviews to contemporary practice, with a particular emphasis on the human figure and socially relevant projects.

The roots of the Fotomuseum Den Haag extend back to the late 1950s, when the Kunstmuseum Den Haag under director Louis Wijsenbeek became one of the first museums in the Netherlands to exhibit photography as a distinct art form. In 1956, the relatively unknown New York photographer Peter Fink received the museum's first solo photography exhibition, with work rooted in postwar humanist traditions. Over subsequent decades, the accumulation of photographic works grew too substantial for the parent museum to adequately display. This prompted Wim van Krimpen to establish a separate photography museum in 2002. Initially constrained by a single large room, the institution expanded significantly in 2016 under director Benno Tempel, increasing from 400 to 1,000 square meters by taking over additional space from GEM (now KM21), the contemporary art museum in the same building. This expansion enabled simultaneous exhibitions and a broader programming scope. In 2023, the museum received 61,052 visitors together with KM21, up from 50,010 in 2022. As of 2024, Margriet Schavemaker serves as director, succeeding Benno Tempel. From 2006 to 2015, the museum was associated with the Silver Camera (Zilveren Camera), an annual prize for Dutch press photography, and from 2009 to 2013 it also hosted the Photo Academy Award.

The Fotomuseum Den Haag organizes approximately six exhibitions annually, spanning diverse periods, disciplines, and genres of photographic history. Its programming deliberately alternates between contemporary photographers and historical overviews, with a consistent focus on the human figure and image of humanity. The museum dedicates significant attention to underexposed and lesser-known reputations, bringing forward overlooked oeuvres alongside established names. It also regularly presents socially relevant photographic projects addressing contemporary issues. This dual commitment to historical recovery and current engagement shapes the museum's distinctive curatorial identity.

The museum's exhibition history reflects its wide-ranging scope. Contemporary photographers who have been featured include Desiree Dolron, Loretta Lux, and Gregory Crewdson. Historical overviews have encompassed Emmy Andriesse, Edward S. Curtis, and Leonard Freed. The museum has prominently presented underexposed figures such as Gerard Fieret, Willem van de Poll, and the Dutch period of fashion photographer Erwin Blumenfeld. Socially engaged projects have included Friso Keuris's series on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Marrie Bot's intimate documentation of sexual relations among older people, and Anja de Jong's work on primeval landscapes threatened by human activity. Other notable exhibitions have featured Man Ray, Sally Mann, Anton Corbijn, Erwin Olaf, Bieke Depoorter, and Robin de Puy.

The Fotomuseum Den Haag is located in the Schamhart Wing, adjacent to the Kunstmuseum Den Haag. This exhibition wing was originally built in 1961-1962 as an extension of what was then called the Haags Gemeentemuseum, designed by architects Sjoerd Schamhart and J.F. Heijligers. For the launch of the Fotomuseum in 2002, the architectural firm Benthem Crouwel updated the space. The 2016 expansion from 400 to 1,000 square meters, which involved taking over space from GEM (now KM21), was also directed by the museum under Benno Tempel's leadership. This physical growth transformed the museum from a single-room venue into a multi-gallery space capable of hosting several exhibitions simultaneously.

The Fotomuseum Den Haag is located in The Hague, Netherlands, in the Schamhart Wing next to the Kunstmuseum Den Haag. It shares its entrance and building with KM21, the museum of contemporary art. The museum is part of the Kunstmuseum organization, operating under the same umbrella as its parent institution and KM21. Visitors can access the museum through its shared entrance with KM21. Current information about opening hours, ticketing, and specific access arrangements is available through the museum's website at www.fotomuseumdenhaag.nl.