Lucid, complex, and exquisitely framed aural and visual compositions, Johan van der Keuken’s documentaries are grounded in a persistent curiosity about the ever-changing world and its inhabitants. Throughout his career, van der Keuken sought forms sufficient to convey his sense of wonder and his personal urge to communicate a global yet intimate perspective. In more than fifty films made over the past four decades, JVDK (as he was affectionately called by his many friends and fans) successfully disregarded preconceptions about barriers between art forms and about artificial subdivisions between fiction and documentary filmmaking. His cinematic practice included “painting with sound,” rehearsing his “characters,” rearranging shots, looking for “the moment where the photographic image moves,” and otherwise structuring his films on techniques adapted from jazz improvisation. His investigations of the social and political affairs of the world—and their effects on individuals, groups, and the culture at large—constitute fluid works of great beauty, even when deciphering such subjects as the global economy. His lifelong fascination with seeing the world through the lens produced an astonishing body of work.

This retrospective is offered as a memorial tribute to the artist, who passed away this January. We are grateful to Jytte Jensen, Associate Curator, Department of Film and Video at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, who organized the full retrospective, “Through the Lens Clearly.”