At Home With... Frank Houtappels
Group on Deck #3, Town Magazine, 1964 by Brian Duffy
Audrey Hepburn, 1955 by Norman Parkinson
Dani at Villa Capo di Monte, Cannes, France, September, 1938 by Jacques Henri Lartigue
Quarries, Wessenden Moor, 2017 by Matthew Murray and David Bowie - Scottie Dog, 1979 by Brian Duffy
For this first edition, it felt natural to visit one of our long-standing clients: Frank Houtappels, a screenwriter and playwright based in Amsterdam. We met Frank in his beautiful historical house dating from 1560, where he lives and works, together with his partner Hendrik Jan Bolte and their happy dog Max. Their photo collection is uplifting, a stunning collection packed with joy and hope, colourful and carefree pictures, from iconic movie stars to contemporary landscapes.
You have an impressive collection of photographs, from the historical Jacques Henri Lartigue, Brian Duffy, Norman Parkinson to the contemporary Matthew Murray and David van Dartel… What is your absolute favourite piece from your collection?
This changes every now and then… Today, one of my (other) favourites is the portrait of Sophia Loren by Terence Donovan—because I watched a documentary last night, ‘What Would Sophia Loren Do?’, about an Italian woman in New York. She is the same age as Sophia Loren and she would ask herself, whenever times were tough, ‘What would Sophia Loren do?’ In the end, they met and they became good friends!
Sophia Loren on the set of Anthony Mann's 'The Fall of the Roman Empire', Spain, May 1963 - for Queen Magazine, 1963 by Terence Donovan
Dani at Villa Capo di Monte, Cannes, France, September, 1938 by Jacques Henri Lartigue
What I love about this photo is how well it captures the main part of acting—the waiting. I was trained as an actor and as every actor knows: filming is waiting. The acting part is only very brief, most of the time you are waiting for your turn, trying to stay focussed on a busy set… This focus is portrayed beautifully here. Sophia Loren is so concentrated and that is what makes this image so special to me.
Most of the times, though, it is Dani at Villa Capo di Monte by Jacques Henri Lartigue. The photo is taken just before the outbreak of World War II and I find it such an innocent picture of a boy—Lartigue’s own son in fact—standing in this idyllic garden with his butterfly net, catching butterflies, at an age where one is indeed so naive but also full of hope. It makes you almost want to pick up a butterfly net and join him! The fact that we know in hindsight that a terrible war awaits them just a few years after this serene picture was taken, fascinates me.
Much of your collection is about the feeling it discloses: joy, humour, cheerfulness, carefree, calmness… What do the works bring to you in your daily life?
Well, if you look closely, you can see that I only collect images that capture some sense of joy. I get a pleasant feeling from seeing happy and joyful images. For instance, the one by Brian Duffy with the weird perspective was the first piece we ever bought. It shows three male models in old-fashioned swimming trunks on the lower deck, a female model with a ridiculous hairdo on the upper… That simply puts a smile on my face instantly!
This is also reflected in my work as a screenwriter. If you need a tragedy, you shouldn’t come to me. There will always be an element of humour or joy in my work, just as there is in the photographs I collect. I’m not sure whether this is a conscious decision, but humour for me is like an anchor. It can open up conversations, make things discussable.
Ruben en Sil, 2018 by David van Dartel
Group on Deck #3, Town Magazine, 1964 by Brian Duffy
Your entire collection is in your office on the ground floor; is there a specific reason for this? Do the photographs inspire you professionally when you write?
Mostly spatial reasons, my office simply has the most wall space in the house but I guess the collection also functions a bit as a conversation piece. Like back in the days, when people put unusual objects on their dining table, just to spark conversations when it falls silent. Also, nobody said an office has to be a dull or empty space!
View in Frank’s office with Terence Donovan, Milton H. Greene and Brian Duffy
View in Frank’s office with Matthew Murray
What advice would you give to a new collector?
Chose intuitively and get advice from a gallery. I never intentionally started collecting photographs, my collection grew organically. In fact, before I knew ElliottHalls Gallery, my relationship with photography was quite different. I knew it from the theatre world, where there would be so-called photography run-throughs: a photographer would come to a rehearsal and photograph the entire play. Only after I started visiting the gallery frequently, did my relationship with photography change.
My advice is start small and (once everything opens up!) visit a lot of exhibitions. There, you will quickly find out where your interests and preferences lie and you might be surprised. Also if you’re hesitating, sleep on it for a night. I find that in the morning I always know whether something is the right piece for me.
Most of your collection shows people: portraits or group portraits. The landscape by Matthew Murray (Quarries, Wessenden Moor, 2017) seems to be the odd one out: what drew you to this image?
Well, I never thought I would hang a landscape on my walls, but here we are! This one particularly appeals to me because of a personal memory. We really love Scotland and have traveled around multiple times. Now, this is of course not Scotland, but it reminded me of the landscapes up there, that feeling of standing on the side of the road, checking if you have enough fuel, water, and then just go… Out in the wild… and colour, of course, I find the colour of this piece amazing.
If you could pick any photograph of the gallery, which one would be on top of your wish list?
Oh, there are so many… I am particularly interested in photographers that capture a certain period in time, for example when the [early and mid 20th century] fashion photography began to move outdoors, leaving the confines of the studios. They are so cheerful - you can almost hear the models thinking: “yes, we’re outside! Like Three Little Black Dresses, Queen, 1961 by Norman Parkinson, I find that one really fun.
Three Little Black Dresses, Queen, 1961 by Norman Parkinson
Anne Gunning, British Vogue, 1956 by Norman Parkinson
Another favourite of mine is the photograph with the model Anne Gunning and the elephant in India. This could work beautifully in a really big size, those colours I find truly amazing, vibrant and popping! I guess there is a theme in my collection after all…?!
Interview by Winke Wiegersma (ElliotHalls Gallery) February 2021
