Bas Princen

Bas Princen is a Dutch photographer known for his architectural and urban photography. Born in 1975 in Zeeland, Netherlands, Princen studied industrial design at the Design Academy Eindhoven before turning to photography. He later attended the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam, where he focused on architecture and urbanism. Princen's work often explores the intersection of natural and built environments, examining how human activity shapes and transforms landscapes. His photographs are characterized by their large format and meticulous composition, often capturing scenes of urban sprawl, construction sites, and abandoned spaces.

Princen has exhibited his work internationally, with solo exhibitions at institutions such as the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal and the Netherlands Architecture Institute in Rotterdam. His work has also been included in group exhibitions at venues such as the Venice Biennale of Architecture and the International Center of Photography in New York. In 2004, Princen was awarded the Charlotte Köhler Prize for his contributions to photography, and in 2010, he won the Silver Lion at the Venice Biennale of Architecture for his collaborative project with Office Kersten Geers David Van Severen.

Princen's notable works include the series Artificial Arcadia, which examines the artificial landscapes created by industrial and infrastructural projects, and Reservoir, a series of photographs documenting the transformation of the landscape around the city of Istanbul. His publications include Five Cities Portfolio (2009), which presents a visual study of urban development in five cities around the Mediterranean, and Refuge (2014), a collection of photographs exploring the notion of refuge and its architectural manifestations. Princen's work is held in the collections of several major institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.