Book presentation Gerard Wessel - BROOD

BROOD & Gerard Wessel

“People like Herman only come around once in a while.” - From: BROOD

BROOD & Gerard Wessel is an intimate portrait of the Netherlands' greatest rock’n-roll artist but underappreciated in the museum world, with unknown hilarious stories and countless previously unpublished photos from the huge archive of photographer Gerard Wessel. From the mid-eighties until the end of the musician/artist's life, the two had a 'professional friendship', like the photographer it calls. Wessel followed Brood at home and abroad, in good and bad times and during the inimitable adventures that only Brood experienced. They felt each other flawlessly in terms of photography, resulting in about 20,000 photos. In this book Gerard Wessel looks back in word and image on his experiences with Brood, and he also interviewed old friends he met during that intense period.

BROOD & Gerard Wessel is a book full of sex, drugs & rock ’n-roll, but also with humor, self-mockery and tenderness, in which Herman Brood – sometimes literally – completely exposed. A photographer has rarely been able and allowed to come closer. For Wessel, the years that he spent with Herman to photograph him were a series of unique and unforgettable moments with this very inspiring personality. This is how they made a memorable trip to Leningrad together

where the speed was forced to be smuggled into the batteries of Herman's tape recorder.

Photographer and native of Zwolle Gerard Wessel got to know musician, artist, writer and fellow townsman Herman Brood when he was at the School for Photography and Photo Technology in The Hague. They turned out to have the same appetite for excitement and action.

Dealing with Herman Brood automatically means that Wessel also experienced the people who were often in his vicinity.

For this book he sought them out and interviewed them again. Such as ex-roadie Rob Kranenburg, Bombita singer Lies Schilp, Herman's childhood friend, traveling companion and art connoisseur Jos Paanakker, art brothers Dick van der Meijden and Ton Leenarts, music friend from the very beginning Hans la Faille, gallery owner Ivo de Lange, Herman's son Marcel Buissink, manager Koos van Dijk and his right hand Bé cross. And in particular 'family friend' Aegid Tonnaer, who Herman until just before his death in a caravan at a bungalow park.

Author/photographer Gerard Wessel (1960) is fascinated by the colorful seamy side of society. After his studies at the The Hague School of Photography and Photonics he becomes known as a chronicler of Dutch youth culture, as Herman Brood's 'court photographer', he often collaborated with Henk Schiffmacher and made a timeless film about the life of poet and jazz lover Jules Deelder (‘Jazz is my Religion’). In 2015, a collection of his photos was purchased by the

Rijksmuseum. He was friends with Herman Brood and was working on a film about him. He previously wrote the book for Just Publishers Bellboy of the penoze which has recently been released as an audiobook. Also see: www.alaskafilms.nl

The copy will be in our store from November 5! 

The book is now available to pre-order in our Online store!