Animals Star in Two Centuries of Photography at Rencontres d'Arles

The exhibition 'Modèle animal – 200 ans de photographie' at the Rencontres d'Arles (July 6 to October 4, 2026) traces the role of animals in photography from the daguerreotype to AI-generated hybrids. Curated by Nathalie Herschdorfer, director of Photo Elysée in Lausanne, the show features 600 works selected from 2,000 images collected over a decade, including prints, magazines, postcards, and albums. The display is organized into seven chapters: anatomical, performative, affective, fascinated, ethical, plastic, and viral. Scientific advisor Vincent Lavoie, author of 'Trop mignon' (PUF, 2020), contributes expertise on the 'cute' phenomenon. Iconic works include Richard Avedon's Dovima with elephants (1955), Philippe Halsman's 'Dalí Atomicus' (1948), and Elliott Erwitt's humorous street shots. Historical milestones include Étienne Jules Marey and Eadweard Muybridge's motion studies of horses, Jean Painlevé's marine documentaries, and George Shiras's early camera traps (early 1900s). The exhibition also highlights amateur photography from The Anonymous Project (1940s–1990s) and contemporary digital manipulations by Robin Lopvet and Weronika Gęsicka. The show will travel to Photo Elysée in Lausanne in autumn 2026.