National Road#1, Boom, Province of Antwerp, Belgium

Harry Gruyaert

Photographer Harry Gruyaert is a pioneer of European color photography. His street photography varies in subject matter, but is united by a unique saturated approach to color, drawing comparisons to American photographers like Stephen Shore and Joel Meyeorwitz. Born into a traditional Catholic Flemish family, Gruyaert was forbidden from becoming a photographer by his father, who saw it as sinful. Gruyaert left Belgium and traveled through Europe, becoming inspired by the colors and lights of the continent. He studied at the School of Film and Photography in Brussels from 1959 to 1962 before moving to Paris to pursue photography. He later relocated to London and then back to Belgium in 1973 to document his home country. In the 1970s, he created photographs from distorted TV images, commenting on the shifting ways that people consume news and media. He joined the documentary photography cooperative Magnum Photos in 1981 and continued traveling the world.