Hans van Manen (1932-2025) - Rodriek Lutgens with carnations

The composition depicts Rodriek, a nude male figure set against a deep, dark background, in dialogue with a vase of carnations placed on a pedestal. The strict composition, carefully controlled lighting, and the charged relationship between body and object are characteristic of Hans van Manen’s photographic work, in which choreography, sculptural form, and classical visual traditions converge. The pose and the averted gaze enhance a sense of stillness and concentration, while the flowers provide a subtle counterbalance to the physical monumentality of the model.

Hans van Manen’s photographic practice did not exist in isolation. As choreographer of the Dutch National Ballet, he frequently photographed ballet dancers, bringing his profound understanding of movement, posture, and the expressive potential of the human body into his visual work. He maintained a close friendship and collaboration with Erwin Olaf, sharing a fascination with staging, light, and the psychological charge of the image. During the 1980s and 1990s, he was also a close friend of and collaborator with the Amsterdam-based photographer Paul Blanca.

Van Manen was moreover an admirer and collector of the work of Robert Mapplethorpe, whose photographs deeply influenced him. He openly expressed his appreciation for Mapplethorpe’s classical compositions, sculptural treatment of the human body, and the tension between beauty and discipline that defines his oeuvre.

Notably, Van Manen largely kept his photographic work for himself. Only very few photographs have entered circulation, and when printed they were produced in very small editions, often unsigned. This deliberate reserve contributes significantly to the rarity and exclusivity of his photographic oeuvre.

Image size: 22 × 22 cm
Sheet size: 30.5 × 24 cm
Condition: Very good, with minimal signs of wear
Sold without frame

Literature:

W.J. Otten, Hans van Manen, Portrait, Scheffers (publ.), Utrecht, 1986.

A rare and compelling example of Hans van Manen’s photographic practice, in which his gaze on the human body and his refined sense of composition are fully realized.