Dutch Photographers since 1938

Meijboom, Marius

• 
  Koningin Juliana (1948), Marius Meijboom / Nederlands Fotomuseum

Name variations

 

Family relationships

 

Short description

Marius Meijboom has been described as the uncrowned king of commercial photography. He was however best known for his photographs of the Dutch royal family. He also took fashion photographs. First and foremost he was a studio photographer.
In his more... »

Marius Meijboom has been described as the uncrowned king of commercial photography. He was however best known for his photographs of the Dutch royal family. He also took fashion photographs. First and foremost he was a studio photographer.
In his youth he was an inspired amateur without any ambition to embark on a professional career. All this changed when he met Godfried de Groot in 1934. Under the Amsterdam portrait photographer's influence Meijboom decided to study at the Reimann school in Berlin. In 1936 he set up for himself in Amsterdam. He concentrated chiefly on portrait photography; his studio was in the immediate vicinity of the Stadsschouwburg playhouse, and many of his clients came from the theatrical world. Godfried de Groot's influence is evident in the pronounced chiaroscuro in these portraits.
Meijboom's reputation was established by his work for the royal family, and for his photographs in the book Personalities in the Kingdom of the Netherlands (1937-1938). It became necessary for him to employ assistants; by 1938 he had a staff of twenty-five.
Directly after the German invasion Meijboom fell under suspicion for having Jewish employees. In 1942 he was arrested for providing photographs for forged identity cards. His studio was closed for a while, but subsequently carried on by his wife, the photographer Margreet van Konijneburg. Meijboom was released at the end of 1943. In the final months of the war he was involved with a group who took illegal photographs of the German occupation. A selection of these photographs was exhibited in Meijboom's studio after the liberation. The group adopted the name of the show, The Camera in Hiding (De Ondergedoken Camera).
After the war Meijboom concentrated increasingly on commercial and fashion photography, which by 1950 accounted for eighty per cent of his assignments. This work was cast in a popularised mould of the achievements of New Photography: the design was contemporary and adapted to the function of the photo as a conveyor of information. Meijboom's clients included magazines (International Textiles and Elegance), advertising agencies (Lintas, Prad, Smits and FHV) and companies such as the Holland-Africa Line and a sulphuric acid plant. One of his regular clients was De Bijenkorf department store, for which he photographed window displays and made corporate and fashion reportages. « less...

Place/date of birth

Meppel 1911-10-11 

Place/date of death

1998-09-11 

Nationality

Nederlands 

Qualification

fotograaf, hoffotograaf 

Subject

portretfotografie, kunstenaarsportretten, landschappen, naaktfiguren, reportagefotografie, bedrijfsfotografie, modefotografie, reclamefotografie
 

Product

 

Material

bromidedruk 

Collection is managed by

 

Copyright is managed by

 

Other websites about this photographer

 

 

Go to this photographer in RKD-Artists 

Latest editing

2010-08-19 (rvl) 

Books

• Oog in oog met fotograaf Henk Gerritsen : 32 fotografen die hun, persoonlijke voorkeur in beeld brengen. Schans, Jan van der 1991
• Fotografie - Geschiedenis - Beeldvorming. Nederland en de Tweede Wereldoorlog. (Photography, History, Representation. The Netherlands and World War II). Verkoren, Luc 1993
• Naar het pand van de krant. Bool, Flip 1994
• Fotografisch geheugen. Blom, Onno 1998
• Beslissende Beeld. Hoogtepunten uit de Nederlandse fotografie van de 20e eeuw. (The Decisive Image. Dutch Photography from the 20th Century). Leijerzapf, Ingeborg Th. 1991

Places/periods of working

Berlijn
Amsterdam
Emst (Epe)
 

Publications

 

Education

 

Pupil of

 

Teacher of

 

Winner of

 

Member of

Nederland Archief (De Ondergedoken Camera)
Nederlandsche Fotografen Kunstkring (NFK)
AAFV (Amsterdamsche Amateur Fotografen Vereniging)
Nederlandsche Fotografen Patroons Vereeniging (NFPV)
Vereniging Beroepsfotografen Nederland (BFN) 

See also

  

Sources

 

Additional remarks