Bob Schalkwijk: Gramática Visual

Bob Schalkwijk was born in 1933 in Rotterdam and has lived in Mexico since 1958. His love of photography began from the time he was a boy. He sold his first photograph, a portrait of Louis Armstrong taken during a concert in Amsterdam, at age sixteen. His professional career unfolded in Mexico at a time of cultural ferment and large-scale social change, particularly in the nation’s capital.

Schalkwijk published Mexico City (Paul Hamlyn, Spring Books) in 1965, the first of a long list of books and exhibition catalogues. He also independently published ¿Podrías vivir como un Tarahumara? (Could You Live as a Tarahumara?), which he co-authored with his wife Nina Lincoln and Don Burgess, in 1975. Schalkwijk’s photography is humanist in nature and seeks to capture the essences—the amenable and universal aspects—of daily life. He is also a notable photographer of landscapes and artworks.

He has remained active to the present day and has taken more than 400 000 photographs in 45 countries, particularly Mexico, where he has been a witness to important events. A man of his time, open to innovation, he has exploited digital technologies since the year 2000; some 100 000 of his photographs are available for viewing via an electronic catalogue. His work has been acquired by the Museo Amparo, the Centro de la Imagen and numerous private collections. He continues to reside in Mexico City.