Eva Besnyö

Born in Budapest, in her 20s her love of photography took her to Berlin, where she joined forces with photographers including György Kepes. Working on a new kind of photography rooted in experimental composition, Besnyö developed into a talented photographer. In 1932 love brought her to Amsterdam, where she married fellow photographer John Fernhout, son of artist Charley Toorop. It was in this new artistic environment that Besnyö found success as an independent photographer. After the Second World War she remarried, to graphic designer Wim Brusse, with whom she had two children. In the years that followed she combined motherhood with running her own photography business. Besnyö later joined the Dutch feminist group Dolle Mina and followed the activities of the women’s movement – with her camera, of course.