photo: © Rineke Dijkstra – Vondelpark, Amsterdam, June 19, 2005
The 2020 Johannes Vermeer Award, the Dutch state prize for the arts, was presented to Rineke Dijkstra by Ingrid van Engelshoven, then Minister of Education, Culture and Science. The jury, chaired by Andrée van Es, nominated her unanimously. Dijkstra received the award for her iconic contribution to photography. According to the jury report, she is “the queen of Dutch portraiture.” The award ceremony took place in the Ridderzaal on Thursday, October 29, 2020.
According to the jury, Rineke Dijkstra has made a major contribution to the international standing of Dutch visual art. The jury called her portrait photographs and film installations unique in the world, concluding: “This work is timeless. Few artists possess the ability to create images like these.”
Rineke Dijkstra’s career took off with her Beach Portraits, a series begun in 1992. The jury said of these portraits: “The vulnerability of these young adults, whether conscious of their appearance or not, and the intimacy Dijkstra achieves characterize all of her subsequent work. So does her exceptional sensitivity not only to the eyes or face, but to the entire body as a mirror of the soul.”
Against the backdrop of the coronavirus crisis, the jury paid particular attention that year to the significance of the Johannes Vermeer Award. It stated: “The extreme circumstances of this year made the importance of this state prize even more tangible to the jury: as a symbol of respect and appreciation for the arts, but also as an expression of the exceptional importance of artists to our society.”
