France's Photography Bicentennial: 10 Exhibitions Across Paris, Marseille, and Beyond
France is set to commemorate the 200th anniversary of photography with a nationwide initiative running from September 2026 to September 2027, encompassing approximately 1,000 projects across France and around thirty additional countries. This initiative was revealed by Rachida Dati at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson gala during Paris Photo in November 2024, and it is curated by Dominique de Font-Réaulx. The program will feature exhibitions, screenings, discussions, and more. Noteworthy exhibitions include 'Photographier le patrimoine du Liban, 1864-1970' in Marseille (ongoing until September 26), 'L'espace entre nous' in Paris (open until January 3), and 'Reinventing Photography' in Belgium (September 18-December 20), among others, highlighting works from prominent photographers.
Key facts
- The bicentennial of photography is celebrated from September 2026 to September 2027 in France and about 30 other countries.
- The event was announced by Rachida Dati at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson gala during Paris Photo in November 2024.
- Dominique de Font-Réaulx, art historian and Louvre curator, leads the scientific council.
- Around 1,000 projects are labeled, including exhibitions, projections, meetings, and publications.
- The oldest surviving photograph, Nicéphore Niépce's 'Le Point de vue du Gras' from 1827, is highlighted.
- Ten exhibitions are featured in Paris, Marseille, and elsewhere.
- The program includes a catalog with essays by Michel Poivert, Clément Chéroux, and Sylvie Aubenas.
- Exhibitions cover topics from Lebanese heritage to Japanese photography, rural life, and the 1867 Universal Exhibition.
Entities
Artists
- Dominique de Font-Réaulx
- Rachida Dati
- Nicéphore Niépce
- André Cepeda
- Michel Poivert
- Clément Chéroux
- Sylvie Aubenas
- Tancrède Dumas
- Varoujan Sétian
- Pierre de Vrégille
- Bertrand Schefer
- August Sander
- Lola Álvarez Bravo
- Dorothea Lange
- Aaron Siskind
- Gaëlle Choisne
- Baptiste Rabichon
- Stéphanie Solinas
- Hassan Hajjaj
- Billie Eilish
- Souad Massi
- Keziah Jones
- Lee Scratch Perry
- Acid Arab
- Rachid Taha
- Seydou Keïta
- Malick Sidibé
- Gustave Viaud
- Pierre Loti
- William Henry Fox Talbot
- Paul-Émile Miot
- Paul Gauguin
- Shigeo Gochō
- Shōji Ueda
- Daidō Moriyama
- Rinko Kawauchi
- Mami Kiyoshi
- Jean-Baptiste Tournassoud
- Émile Violet
- Andrée Manziat
- Jean-Baptiste Perret
- Nina Ferrer Gleize
- Susan Meiselas
- René Dragon
- Robert Polidori
- Christian Larrieu
- Barbara Klemm
- Auguste-Rosalie Bisson
- Pierre Petit
- Napoléon III
- François Mitterrand
- Queen of England
- Gustave Le Gray
- François Bellabas
Institutions
- Ministère de la Culture
- Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson
- Paris Photo
- Louvre
- Bibliothèque orientale de l'université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth
- Institut du monde arabe
- Wilson Center for Photography
- Le Bal
- Hangar
- Centre national des arts plastiques
- Cité de la Musique - Philharmonie de Paris
- musée du Quai Branly
- BnF (Bibliothèque nationale de France)
- musée des Ursulines
- Archives Nationales
- Connaissance des Arts
- Musée Nicéphore Niépce
- Harry Ransom Center
- Université du Texas à Austin
- BnF
- Société française de photographie
- Musée d'Orsay
- Kimbell Art Museum
- Médiathèque du patrimoine et de la photographie
- GrandPalaisRmn
- Cnap
- Hangar à Bruxelles
- Centre photographique d'Île-de-France
- Rencontres d'Arles
- Grand Palais
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Marseille
- Byblos
- Lebanon
- Baalbek
- Sidon
- Beyrouth
- Londres
- United Kingdom
- Ixelles
- Belgium
- Larache
- Morocco
- Tanger
- Tahiti
- French Polynesia
- Marquises
- Papeete
- Japon
- Japan
- Mâcon
- Esteli
- Nicaragua
- Austin
- United States
- Texas
- Saint-Loup-de-Varennes
- Bourgogne
- Dubaï
- United Arab Emirates
- Bordeaux
- Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Hôtel de Soubise
- Champ-de-Mars
- Chalon-sur-Saône
- Fort Worth
- Brussels