Introduction

Born in the Netherlands, Jo Brunenberg (1949) ‘discovered’ photography at the age of fourteen and was immediately fascinated by the magic of the medium. At young age he started as an apprentice photographer at a printing company where he has worked in various positions. In addition to working in graphic arts, he has always remained active as fine art photographer.

One of his first non-commissioned projects was "Atlantic Wall." In this series Jo Brunenberg has put the vulnerable naked male body in the hard concrete architecture of the German defensive line along the Normandy coast in France.

During the nineties he carried out many assignments in the field of architectural photography. Recurring themes in his free work are are male nude, architecture and typography.

Now, more than 50 years later, his creative work has been published in numerous photo books and magazines and has been exhibited in galleries and museums in cities such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Hamburg, Neurenberg, Lausanne, Paris, Lyon, Arles, Madrid, Antwerpen, Gent, Dublin, Montréal, Baltimore, Chicago and New York.

Jo Brunenberg travels extensively through France, where he realized recent series like ‘Fermeture Définitive’ in which he reveals his fascination with the typical architecture and typography of traditional small shops in France. In many towns and villages such shops have been closed or are about to disappear. In his series 'Portraits de Châteaux d'Eau' Brunenberg portrays typical French water towers. This series of photographs is supplemented with two documentary movies. A limited edition photo book 'Portraits de Châteaux d'Eau' was published early 2021.

Biography

1949 Born January 24, Stramproy, Netherlands.
1963 ‘Discovers’ photography.
1965 Starts as apprentice in photography at a printing-company, followed by several studies in graphic arts.
1965-1970 Experiments with various photographic techniques.
1969 First portfolio: ‘Crystallization’.
1970-1985 Travels in Europe, the Far East, Northern Africa and the U.S.A. concentrating mainly on landscape photography.
1975 First solo-exhibition in the Municipal Museum, Weert, Netherlands.
1981 Completes study at the Academy for Industrial Design, Eindhoven.
1982-1985 Works on portfolio ‘Atlantikwall’.
1983-1990 Works on ‘Escaping Images’ and ‘Projected Images’.
1986-1987 Part-time teacher at the Academy for Industrial Design, Eindhoven.
1988 Endowment ‘Vrije opdracht fotografie 1988'. ‘Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst’.
1988-1992 Works on the series ‘Immagini Scoperte’.
1989 Starts working on a series on present-day Dutch architecture.
1992 Starts two new series: ‘Contemplatio’ and ‘Hortus Hominis’.
1994 Guest teacher at the Akadeomie Beeldende Kunsten, Maastricht.
1994/1995 Co-editor of “PIDOC”, (Professional Imaging Documentation)
1995 Produces book ‘In opdracht’, with photographs by Cas Oorthuys and Jo Brunenberg.
1995-1997 Photography and design ‘Architecture Calenders’, Weert
2004-2005 Works on series ‘Paraíso Perdido?’ (Cuba)
2005 Works on exhibition and book publication ‘BodyArt’.
2005-present Works on several series with the subject ‘Male nude’.
2008-present Works on series ‘Chateaux d’Eaux’ (France)
2009-present Works on series ‘Fermeture Définitive’ (France)
2013 ‘Jo Brunenberg, ‘Déja Vu, 50 years photography’. Municipal Museum, Weert, NL.
2018 Book production and exhibition 'Pierre Segers - Op zoek naar de verloren tijd'. Homage to the Dutch photographer Pierre Segers (1935-2016). Concept and realization: Jo Brunenberg & Ton Huijbers.
2018 Short film: 'The last farewell'. Homage to the Dutch photographer Pierre Segers (1935-2016). Concept and realization: Jo Brunenberg & Ton Huijbers.
2020 Finalizing project 'Portraits de Châteaux d'Eau' with exhibition, limited edition book publication and two documentary movies.

Selected solo exhibitions

1975 ‘Foto’s van Jo Brunenberg’, Municipal Museum, Weert, Netherlands
1986 Canon Photo Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
1987 Fotogalerie ‘68, Hoensbroek, Netherlands
1988 ‘Jo Brunenberg, geënsceneerde foto’s’, Galerie I.D., Helmond, Netherlands
1988 ‘Jo Brunenberg’, Photo Gallery ‘Fotografia Oltre’, Chiasso, Switzerland
1989 ‘Escaping Images’, Galerie Photographique ‘Vrais Rêves’, Lyon, France
1990 ‘Immagini Scoperte’, Galerie Fotomania, Rotterdam, Netherlands
1991 ‘Immagini Scoperte’, LAK Galerie, Leiden, Netherlands
1991 ‘Escaping Images & Immagini Scoperte’, Galerie du Sallé, Quimper, France
1992 ‘Jo Brunenberg’, Mediale, Nürnberger Burg, Nürnberg, Germany
1992 ‘Jo Brunenberg’, Balazzo Brozzo’, Nürnberg, Germany
1993 ‘Immagini Scoperte’, Grauwert-Galerie, Hamburg, Germany
1993 ‘Jo Brunenberg, ‘foto’s 1982-1993’, Municipal Museum, Weert, Netherlands
1994 ‘Jo Brunenberg, ‘foto’s 1982-1993’, Fotogalerij, Cultureel Centrum Hasselt, Belgium
2005 ¿Paraíso Perdido?, Galerie Pennings, Eindhoven
2010 ‘Portretten’, Galerie FotoExpo 202, Amersfoort
2013 ‘Jo Brunenberg, ‘Déja Vu, 50 years photography’. Municipal Museum, Weert, NL.
2015 Jo Brunenberg, ‘Collections’. Galerie Vrais Rêves, Lyon, France
2020 Franse watertorens, 'Portraits de Châteaux d'Eau', De Annex | Museum W, Netherlands

Photographs in collections

• Museum W, Weert, Netherlands
• Limburgs Centrum voor Fotografie, Sittard, Netherlands
• Collection Erasmus Universiteit, Rotterdam, Netherlands
• Musee de la Photographie, Charleroi, Belgium
• Graham Nash Collection, Pasadena U.S.A.
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art, U.S.A.
• The International Polaroid Collection, U.S.A.
• Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne, Switserland
• University of Maryland, Baltimore, U.S.A.
• ‘Les Abattoirs’, Toulouse, France
• Fundación Canal, Madrid, Spanje
• Private collections