Transcripts of a sea

Photographer Stephan Vanfleteren presents his sea-inspired photography, exploring maritime painting’s evolution and its connection to past artists from the 17th to 20th centuries. Published in conjunction with the exhibition of the same name at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts (MSK) in Ghent, from 20 September 2025, to 04 January 2026

For the first time, the world-renowned photographer Stephan Vanfleteren will share the enchantment that has drawn him to the sea – or more accurately, into the sea – in recent years. Vanfleteren’s fascinating images of the natural world take the viewer on a journey through time. They are inspiring invitations to consider developments in maritime painting in a new light, and to discover how his perspectives intersect with those of painters from the 17th to the 20th centuries.

Stephan Vanfleteren (°1969) is one of Belgium’s most renowned photographers. Among the general public, he is mainly celebrated for his penetrating black and white portraits of famous and anonymous people. However, his oeuvre is much more diverse than that. Starting his career as a press photographer, Vanfleteren made captivating photo reports about the events that dominated the news. Later on, he began to elaborate a variation of themes in extended photo reportages, going from storefront façades to a journey along the mythical Atlantic Wall. For his most recent work, Vanfleteren withdrew into his studio to focus on his own version of classic themes such as nude portraits and still life photography. Whether it concerns his journalistic, documentary or artistic photographic projects, Vanfleteren always remains true to his characteristic style and aesthetic. His expansive personal stories and reflections of encounters are mesmerizing excursions of a photographer who feels as much a witness as an accomplice. A melancholic soul hides in the sensitive photographer. In August 2021 Stephan Vanfleteren received a Doctor Honoris Causa from the VUB - Brussels University, Belgium.