Until Feb. 11, 2026, Foam Amsterdam transforms into a monument to one of photography's great icons: Co Rentmeester. The exhibition Witnessing Life brings together the Dutch-American photographer's impressive body of work, inviting visitors on a contemplative journey through half a century of visual history.
In the soft glow of the museum, images of world conflicts, social upheavals, heroic sporting moments and iconic advertising campaigns glide by. Rentmeester captures the urgency of his times with an eye that sees sharply where it is often difficult to see - always seeking the human story behind the headlines.
The exhibition exudes a sense of engagement and timelessness. It is more than an overview; it is an intimate return to the city where Rentmeester's photographic path began, a symbolic journey home to the Amsterdam light and the canal houses that so often seem stagnant but bubble with life stories through his lens.
"Witnessing Life shows how an image can be more than a snapshot - it becomes a window into the soul of an era."
The exhibition includes crackling images of the Vietnam War, the violent Watts riots of the 1960s, portraits of Olympic athletes and Michael Jordan's immortal "Jumpman" statue, which blurred the lines between art and commerce.
Foam thus gives space to a photographic oeuvre that boldly and multifacetedly connects reportage with autobiographical narratives, balances form and content, and above all shows how photography as a medium shapes our memory and history.
For Amsterdam, this is a moment of reflection on its own artistic heritage - a reminder that great stories often have their roots in the local soil where they began. Witnessing Life is thus a celebration of a photographic life's work that resonates both internationally and locally.
Co Rentmeester at Foam is an ode to attention, showing and being shown - an exhibition that invites you to stop, look and feel.