Erwin Olaf, a contemporary Dutch photographer known for the precision of his staged photographs of both countercultural figures and Dutch royalty, died on Wednesday in Groningen, the Netherlands.
Shirley den Hartog, his business partner, said the death, in a hospital, was caused by complications of a recent lung transplant.
Mr. Olaf had struggled for years with hereditary emphysema, she said.
Mr. Olaf began his career as a photojournalist documenting the gay liberation movement in the 1980s before becoming one of the first photographers in the Netherlands to stage photos using theatrical costuming and sets.
“He made explicit images or very suggestive images that became iconic,” said Taco Dibbits, director of the Rijksmuseum, which owns and displays Mr. Olaf’s work.
Persons:
Erwin Olaf, Shirley den Hartog, Olaf, ”, Taco Dibbits, Olaf’s, “
Locations:
Dutch, Groningen, Netherlands