Inez & Vinoodh’s “Can Love Be a Photograph” Exhibition Explores 40 Years of Vision

Renowned photographic duo Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, known collectively as Inez & Vinoodh, are set to be celebrated with a major retrospective exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Den Haag in The Hague, Netherlands, opening on March 21st and running through September 6th. This exhibition, titled "Can Love Be a Photograph," commemorates their upcoming 40th anniversary as a creative partnership in 2026, and highlights their significant contributions to the worlds of art, fashion, and portraiture.

Spanning 18 rooms, the exhibition offers a deep dive into the artists’ four decades of work, not through a traditional chronological order, but through a thematic arrangement. This deliberate choice allows for new connections and interpretations between the images, emphasizing the difference between the passage of time and the enduring nature of history. The Kunstmuseum Den Haag frames the exhibition as a profound exploration of love – not in a romantic sense, but as the act of truly seeing, valuing, and understanding another.

“Can Love Be a Photograph” will showcase pivotal series from Inez & Vinoodh’s career, including “Thank You Thighmaster,” “Final Fantasy,” and “The Forest.” Central to the exhibition is “The Kiss,” a work the artists themselves consider emblematic of their practice. Visitors can also expect a dedicated gallery showcasing their editorial and collage work, alongside expansive portraits of prominent figures from the worlds of film (Brad Pitt, Taylor Swift), music (Billie Eilish), art, and politics.

The exhibition also acknowledges Inez & Vinoodh’s substantial impact on fashion photography. Throughout their career, they have created iconic campaigns for luxury brands such as Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, and Chanel, and their work has graced the pages of leading publications like Vogue, V Magazine, Visionaire, The New York Times Magazine, and W Magazine. Writer Michael Bracewell aptly describes their ability to “manipulate the high-gloss surface of fashion photography into a psychological allegory,” and the museum suggests the retrospective will question whether glamour truly equates to happiness.

Accompanying the exhibition is a comprehensive catalogue, “Can Love Be a Photograph – 40 Years of Inez & Vinoodh.” This publication features insightful essays from Donatien Grau, Francesco Bonami, Pamela Chen, and Willemijn van der Zwaan, as well as a compelling interview with the duo conducted by Tilda Swinton, offering reflections on their career and the recurring themes within their work.

This retrospective builds upon a previous exhibition dedicated to Inez & Vinoodh, “Pretty Much Everything 1985–2010,” which marked their 25th anniversary in 2010. That earlier show premiered in Amsterdam and subsequently travelled to São Paulo, Dallas, and Stockholm, demonstrating the global reach and enduring appeal of their artistic vision.