Ben Uri Research Unit

Born: 1932 Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Died: 2012 Hereford, England

Year of Migration to the UK: 1974

Biography

Photographer Al Vandenberg was born to Dutch parents on 31 August 1932 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Brought up by an English foster family in Boston, Vandenberg's early life was marked by a diverse blend of cultures that would later influence his photographic work. At 17, he served in the Korean War, an experience that profoundly shaped his worldview. Upon returning to civilian life, he pursued art education in Boston and in New York, where he studied under renowned photographers, Alexey Brodovitch, Richard Avedon, and Bruce Davidson. This formative period laid the foundation for his future career in photography.

In the early 1960s, Vandenberg transitioned from student to professional, initially working in commercial photography, covering editorial, fashion, advertising, and the music industry. He found early success in New York and later in London, where he contributed to iconic projects such as The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover. However, despite the glamour and acclaim, Vandenberg felt disenchanted with the commercial demands of the industry. Reflecting on his career, he stated: ‘Neither the spying on poor people for middle-class audiences nor serving the media world gave me the kind of images that I wanted to leave to my children. My camera became more than just a way of making a living. Making a living seemed less important than living itself’ (artist's statement). By the late 1960s, Vandenberg had begun to distance himself from commercial work. He travelled extensively, capturing the vibrant and diverse street life in cities such as Singapore, Tokyo, Hollywood, Hong Kong, and Laos. This period of travel allowed him to refine his approach to street photography, moving away from the depictions of poverty and urban low-life that characterised his early work, towards portraying people in moments of joy and connection, a shift that would define his later career.

In 1974, seeking a new direction, Vandenberg settled in London, England, the city’s rich tapestry of cultures and subcultures providing fertile ground for his artistic vision. Vandenberg immersed himself in the dynamic street life of the capital during the 1970s and 1980s, capturing the style, mood, and tone of the era through a series of compelling black and white photographs. His subjects ranged from teenagers and rockabillies to shop workers and art students, all depicted with a sincere and empathetic eye. Vandenberg’s work during this period is best exemplified by his series On a Good Day, documenting a wide variety of Londoners. The photographs, while taken on the street, are nevertheless carefully posed, with subjects confidently presenting themselves to the camera. Shopfronts and window displays often serve as backdrops, giving the images a studio-like quality that contrasts with the spontaneity of the moments captured. His subjects, whether anonymous individuals or cultural figures, like Lemmy from Motorhead and punk icon Jordan, exude a sense of confidence and individuality. On a Good Day encapsulates Vandenberg’s belief that, despite the challenges and difficulties of life, there is a fundamental joy and optimism to be found. Martin Barnes, Senior Curator of the V&A, described Vandenberg’s work as imbued with a ‘positive, uplifting intention,’ free from the irony and criticism often associated with serious art photography (Woodward 2016). Instead, Vandenberg’s images celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of London’s subcultures, portraying his subjects with a compassionate and humanistic approach. Separately from his practice, in the 1980s, Vandenberg co-founded the Hereford Photography Festival with Dave West.

Vandenberg’s photographs have been exhibited at many prestigious venues, including the V&A in London, which acquired fifteen photographs from the On a Good Day series as part of their Staying Power project. This initiative, a partnership between the V&A and Black Cultural Archives, aims to explore Black British experience from the 1950s to the 1990s through photographs and oral histories. In 2012, his work featured in Another London: International Photographers Capture City Life 1930-1980 at Tate Britain, which displayed a donation of over 1,000 photographs from Eric Franck, highlighting the diverse and vibrant life of London through the eyes of various international photographers, including Wolfgang Suschitzky, Markéta Luskacová, and James Barnor. In 2014, Vandenberg's street photographs featured in Staying Power: Photographs of Black British Experience, 1950s-1990s held at the V&A, which explored the experiences of Black people in Britain through photographs and oral histories collected by the Black Cultural Archives. In 2016, Vandenberg’s work was further commemorated with the release of his first monograph, also titled On a Good Day, by Stanley/Barker. The book coincided with a specially curated exhibition at the Photo London fair, showcasing a selection of his most compelling street portraits.

Al Vandenberg died in Hereford, England in 2012. In the UK public domain his work is represented in the British Council, Tate, and V&A collections.

Related books

On a Good Day (monograph) (London: Stanley/Barker, 2016)
Staying Power: Photographs of Black British Experience, 1950s-1990s, exh. cat., V&A, London (2015)
Another London, exh. cat., Tate Britain, London (2012)
Francis Hodgson, ‘A City Seen through Fresh Eyes’, Financial Times, 23 June 2012

Public collections

Related organisations

Herefordshire Photography Festival (co-founder)

Selected exhibitions

Photo London, Somerset House, London (2016)
Staying Power: Photographs of Black British Experience, Victoria and Albert Museum, London (2015)
Another London, Tate Britain, London (2012)

Ben Uri archive

Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [Al Vandenberg]