Erwin Olaf was an internationally renowned artist from Amsterdam.
Throughout his 40-year career, Erwin Olaf consistently maintained an activist stance, incorporating it into his art. He aimed for an equal, diverse, and free society. From documenting the pre-AIDS gay emancipation movement in Amsterdam’s nightlife in the 1980s to his 2016 artwork for Nuit Blanche Paris, which focused on recent terrorist attacks and the vulnerability of democratic society, his activism is evident.
In 2019, Olaf was knighted in the Order of the Dutch Lion after the Rijksmuseum added 500 works from his oeuvre to its collection. His artworks continue to inspire, empower, and motivate people who share Erwin’s vision, medium, and interests. Beyond his art, his various activist projects and events are still remembered and shared. For this reason, the Erwin Olaf Foundation aims to carry on his activism to strengthen the path toward an equal, diverse, and free society.