Well-known and unseen pictures from the Rob Verhorst Archive
Rob Verhorst’s remarkable career spans over four decades, with a deep connection to Pink Floyd that has shaped his journey. From his first encounter with the band at Sportpaleis Ahoy in Rotterdam in 1977, he was inspired to merge his twin passions of photography and music into a lifelong profession. This moment marked the beginning of a unique relationship with the members of Pink Floyd—David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Rick Wright, and Nick Mason—who regularly found themselves in front of Verhorst’s camera, both as a band and in their solo endeavors.
His iconic shot of a deflated pig at Ahoy also offers a glimpse into his distinctive approach to photography. Verhorst doesn’t just capture the grand spectacle; he’s known for his meticulous attention to the smallest details, demonstrating a rare combination of perfectionism and a keen artistic eye.
It wasn’t long before his work began to gain recognition. His photos appeared in newspapers like Rotterdams Dagblad and in prominent music magazines such as Muziekkrant OOR, Muziek Expres, Hitkrant, and Music Maker. His striking images from Pink Floyd's 1980 Earls Court shows, which helped promote The Wall, quickly gained global attention. Through the '80s, Verhorst was a fixture at major events, capturing unforgettable moments with David Gilmour at Muziekcentrum Vredenburg in Utrecht (1984) and Roger Waters at Sportpaleis Ahoy that same year. He documented Pink Floyd's comeback in Rotterdam in 1988, and again in 1989 in Werchter and Nijmegen’s Goffertpark. His classic photo of the band in Versailles in 1988, surrounded by a crowd of photographers, remains one of his many iconic shots.
Verhorst’s contributions to the visual history of Pink Floyd—and countless other international acts—have earned him a place in the legendary Getty Images catalog.
In 1990, he photographed The Wall once more, this time at Roger Waters' Berlin performance, and continued to document Waters’ career well into the new millennium, including a third Wall performance in Arnhem in 2011. He is one of the few photographers—perhaps the only one professionally—who has captured all three major tours of this iconic concept album across three decades.
For this book, Rob Verhorst (born 1952) has selected 300 of his most iconic Pink Floyd photos, many of which have never been published before. Combined with personal memories and additional material from his extensive archive, this collection offers an extraordinary visual legacy.
ISBN: 978-90-831514-1-0
