This is the place for Danish photographer Viggo Rivad’s works since the early 1950s. The photos were selected by Rivad himself for this website and he has endorsed its content and appearance.
It was created in early 2013 – in Rivad’s 90th year – by Jan Oberg. Since Rivad took his first photos in 1943, it marks his 70th year in photography. Rivad and Oberg met in 1983 as members of a Danish delegation to China so the website also marks 30 years of friendship.
This tribute homepage also contains photos of Rivad by Jan Oberg and glimpses from his 2009 exhibition at Oberg’s photo gallery in Lund, Sweden, and his huge 2012 retrospective exhibitions at the Museum of Photo Art in Odense and at the Nivågaard Collection, both in Denmark.
– “I’ve been passionate about creating this virtual museum so people all around the world may get an opportunity to experience and enjoy Viggo’s works. Viggo is a modest personality uninterested in public relation; he has always held other jobs to avoid having to make a living from his art. He has shot almost all his photos with analog cameras, always seeking the human, the genuine, never calculating what would sell on the market that has come to dominate so much – and quite destructively – today.
– I am convinced he deserves to be recognized and admired by an international audience, experts as well as laymen. His photographic art speaks to the thoroughly human, whether suffering, joy, love, or labour; he has traveled globally to prove that we are – must be – living in unity through diversity. In that sense, Viggo’s art is not only humanist photography, it is also peace photography.
– Contrary to what you might think, there is no other website devoted to Rivad’s world class photography. I’ve created this out of my boundless gratitude for his work and friendship over so many years ” – says Jan Oberg who is a peace studies professor and art photographer seeing Rivad as his mentor.
Viggo Rivad 
Thank you for sharing – it is not a one-time-visit!
I have loved Viggo Rivads photos since I was young – many years ago 😉
Thank you for this great site to show some of his amazing works.
I have made a link to this on my blog, and hope that many will come here and view his photos.
Wonderful beautiful imagery that shows the depth of this man’s heart and eye. I did not know of Viggo Rivad so thanks very much for this… Lori/ Canada
Et stort knus til dig Viggo Rivad og håber, at få lov til at se flere billeder fra dig – det er en fornøjelse og så inspirerende at kigge på dine billeder, der alle fortæller en fantastisk historie – godt gået !
Hilsen Ann Obarzanek (Art Director på 8 skildringer i 1975)
Fantastisk inspirerende side og ikke mindst fotokunst – meget nærværende, indfølende og autentisk! Ud fra billederne fornemmer jeg et fint menneske, en fremragende humanistisk fotograf med både dybde og empati samt stor menneskelig forståelse og indsigt. Tak til Viggo Rivad for fantastisk fotokunst der kryber ind under huden på beskueren og tak til Jan Øberg for at skabe denne smukke hyldestside til Viggo Rivad.
Fantastic photography, destilled capture purified of its moment. I studied other great masters of “street photography”, but never felt the impact of of the picture as with your style and closeness. Takk Viggo!
Viggo Rivad er en af de bedste fotografer og hjemmesiden her er fin!
Jeg er den lykkelige ejer af et par af Viggos billeder og flere af hans bøger!
Mange gode tanker til Viggo-
fra Karen Margrethe
Wonderful photos and very moving tribute
These should be shared with Pasos Peace Museum which also has a virtual gallery. There is also an International Network of Museums for Peace. INWP has it’s main office in The Hague and is connected with museums all over the world.
Recently I met up with a friend (and photographer) from Denmark by the name of Jan Oberg while he and his wife Christina were in Berlin. Over the two days of meeting, we swapped stories about many and varied topics and of course took a few photographs as well. When talking about the subject of photography, one name that Jan mentioned to me was that of a photographer by the name of Viggo Rivad who is known as the Grand Old Man of Danish Photography. Looking at the material Jan sent to me in a link that contained various selections of pictures and texts from Viggo’s portfolios, I can see why he is called just that…‘Grand’, and I would think even more.
Wonderful photos. Lovely website. Thank you for experiences and impressions as well as empathy and expression.
Kære Viggo Rivad, hvor er det skønt, at Jan har lavet denne side om dig og dine vidunderlige billeder, det kan vi kun være taknemmelige for, os, der altid har beundret din kunst. Dejligt at se billederne, han har taget af dig. Hav det godt. Venligst Karin Olander
Dear Viggo Rivad. Thank you very much for giving us the opportunity to see your wonderful photos. I was very touched by “Farewell”. Your photos are so genuine. Yours, Bodil Waldstrøm
Kære Viggo Rivad,
Da jeg som ung, i halvtresserne, begyndte at interessere mig for
fotografiet, så jeg for første gang dine billeder og jeg blev en meget stor
beundrer af det du lavede.
Det har nok været det der vækkede min interesse for det humane fotografi,
som siden skulle få så stor en betydning for mit eget livsforløb.
Jeg kan her kun udtrykke dig min taknemmelighed for at du var den første
der åbnede denne verden for mig.
Min fotografiske løbebane ville at jeg tidligt kom til udlandet, hvor jeg siden
har arbejdet som freelance reportage-fotograf (se wikipedia) og haft et
fantastisk berigende liv.
Det er gennem Jan Oberg, der har haft den fine idé at lave dig en
website, at jeg nu igen er kommet på sporet af dine billeder der stadig
gør et virkelig stort indtryk på mig.
Tak til ham, – og især tak til dig for det blændende værk du er mesteren for
og nu har overgivet til den danske kulturarv.
Jeg beklager kun at jeg ikke selv har kendt dig som menneske.
I stor hengivenhed,
Erling Mandelmann
Tak for at dele alle disse skønne foto ❤
Tusind tak for mange fantastiske fotografier og tillykke med fødselsdagen forleden
At rejse Kina rundt i selskab med bl.a. Viggo, var en af livets helt store oplevelser. Han var et vidunderligt, morsomt menneske og en vidunderlig fotograf. Livsklog hele vejen igennem – man følte han så igennem én – og håbede at det han så, gik an.
Kære Viggo du vil leve i vore liv, så længe vi selv lever det. Tak fra Lone
Hvert enkelt billede af Viggo synes hvergang at være en hel beretning i sig selv. Helt tidløse, billedserie eller enkeltstående. Tak for stadig at kunne se dine mesterværker. En tak fra Yvonne
Tak for billederne, Viggo.
Kære Jan. Tak for en virkelig grundig og flot side om og med Viggo Rivad.
Jeg vil lige oplyse, at link der gives til at se mere af Viggos arbejde desværre ikke virker.
http://www.photomondo.dk/Infophoto/User_viri/Index.html
Er der et andet link? Kan man se nogle af de mange fotos som er overdraget til det KgL Bibliotek?
Mvh Peter Bjerg
Kære Peter – mange tak for venlige ord. Jeg har fjernet lænken nu.
Nej, der er – såvidt jeg véd og jeg burde vide det – ingen links hvor man kan se hvad Viggo donerede til det Kgl. Bibliotek og til Fotomuseet i Odense.
De venligste hilsener
Jan
Jo, man kan godt se hvilke værker Viggo donerede til Det Kongelige Bibliotek. Alle hans værker (eller i hvert fald de fleste af dem) der er i danske museers samlinger, kan ses her: https://www.kulturarv.dk/kid/SoegKunstnerVaerker.do?kunstnerId=11650
Mvh Ditte Berg
Jamen tusind tak for den oplysning. Såre godt at de er tilgængelige. Men der er flere iflg hvad kære Viggo fortalte mig.
In 2014, I was lucky enough to see an exposition of Viggo Rivad in the El Grabado Museum in Marbella, Spain. What a wonderful human being!
After the trip, I wandered on the web to learn more about the artist himself. Thanks to you for this website!