Biography
Born in 1953 in
Harlem. During a family visit to London in 1971 the young 18 year old thought
he had found his vocation by becoming a concert roadie. Jan definitively
left the Netherlands and followed groups on tour. In 1972, whilst following a
group from Manchester, Jan had to cross the Atlantic. It was love at first
sight on discovering the United States. At the time of Nixon’s re-election at
the end of the year, Jan was interested in American counter-culture. As part of
the course he met representatives from the East Coast hippie community. He grew
progressively closer to the Youth International Party, a more radical fringe
group of the movement. Very rapidly, Jan understood that his aspirations were
not social but artistic. Regarding this period, Jan said: ‘I was 19 years old and had a morbid fear of existence. Through
socio-political expedients I was looking for pretexts for avoiding reality and
confronting my desire for creation.’ He therefore took up photography
alone. He withdrew from his militant activities and regained contact with his
former acquaintances from the world of music. He continued on the music tour
path but this time as a photographer. Jan met rock and pop idols from the
following generations. From Bowie to James Brown via Bob Dylan and Freddy
Mercury, Jan does not photograph musical trends but artists who elatedly devote
themselves to the stage.
COUNTRY : France
THEMES :
Music
COLLECTIONS :
Contemporary