Foam presents Witnessing Life, the first major retrospective of the Dutch-American photographer Co Rentmeester (1936, the Netherlands). A pioneer in a wide range of photographic genres, Rentmeester helped shape the visual culture of the 20th century. His images span from battlefields during the Vietnam War to iconic advertising campaigns, wildlife and sport images. Amongst them is the world-famous Jumpman-image of Michael Jordan from 1984, later copied by Nike for their famous Jumpman logo, and named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential photographs of all time.
Michael Jordan,1984
© Co Rentmeester.
Mark Spitz, 1972, Olympic Games
© Co Rentmeester.
Cover LIFE Magazine
© Co Rentmeester.
Los Angeles Riots, 1965
© LIFE Picture Collection.
His diverse body of work includes war reportage, documentary photography, wildlife, sports, and commercial imagery, Witnessing Life showcases Rentmeester’s extraordinary ability to move seamlessly across genres. The exhibition includes his early images from the Watts riots in 1965 and Vietnam, as well as his award-winning photographs of Olympic swimmer Mark Spitz and his iconic images for a major tobacco company.
Rentmeester was a staff photographer for LIFE from 1966 to 1972 and produced twenty-two covers for LIFE, earning recognition for his precision, visual clarity, and human storytelling. He remains the only Dutch photographer to have won a World Press Photo award, not once but twice. He received his first in 1967 for a striking image from the Vietnam War, notably the first colour photograph ever to win, and earned the second in 1973 for his portrait of Olympic swimmer Mark Spitz.
The exhibition’s title, Witnessing Life encapsulates Co’s lifelong engagement with the world through images. To witness, in Rentmeester’s practice, is not to document what is already apparent. It is to remain attentive where the world becomes difficult to see. His photographs do not simply reflect history – they actively shape how it is remembered.
This retrospective also marks a symbolic homecoming for the 89-year-old artist: a return to Amsterdam, the city where Rentmeester’s photographic journey began. The exhibition will be accompanied by a new international publication exploring his life and work in greater depth.
About the artist
Co Rentmeester (1936, Amsterdam) first gained recognition not through photography, but sport, competing as an Olympic rower for the Netherlands in 1960. After relocating to the United States, he studied photography at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles and began working as a freelance photographer for LIFE magazine. In 1966, he joined the magazine’s staff. His career was briefly interrupted in 1967 by a sniper injury sustained while covering the war in Vietnam, after which he returned to the U.S. After LIFE ceased as a Weekly in 1972, he continued to work for publications such as National Geographic, The New York Times Magazine, and Sports Illustrated, and became a significant commercial photographer. In 2001, he received the KLM Paul Huf Award, which at the time was a lifetime achievement award. It has since evolved into the Foam Paul Huf Award.
Witnessing Life – Co Rentmeester can be seen from 10 October 2025 – 11 February 2026 at Foam. Open daily 10.00 - 18.00 hrs, Thurs/Fri 10.00 - 21.00 hrs.
The international publication accompanying this exhibition is published by Lannoo and made possible by the generous support of the Turing Foundation.
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