Harry Gruyaert's Colorful World: A Retrospective at Rencontres d'Arles

The Rencontres de la photographie in Arles is hosting a major retrospective of Belgian photographer Harry Gruyaert, titled "A Sense of Place," at the Chapelle du Méjan from July 6 to October 4, 2026. Curated by Géraldine Lay, the exhibition revisits 60 years of Gruyaert's career, showcasing his mastery of color and his unique perspective on urban life and anonymous citizens. Gruyaert, a Magnum Photos member since 1982, has never before had a large-scale exhibition at the prestigious festival, despite previous shows at the Hôtel des Arts de Toulon in 2019 and Le Bal in 2023. The exhibition features works from his native Flanders to Tokyo, Moscow, Ouarzazate, Las Vegas, and Paris, highlighting his role as a flâneur, a concept he connects to Baudelaire's "Le Peintre de la vie moderne" (1863). Gruyaert, influenced by pop art and American color photographers like William Eggleston, Joel Meyerowitz, and Saul Leiter, turned to color in the late 1960s, contributing to its acceptance in art photography. His work also references painting, from Edward Hopper's solitary figures to Brueghel's crowds and Andy Warhol's pop graphics. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue published by Textuel (112 pages, €39). The show runs from July 6 to October 4, 2026, at Chapelle Saint-Martin du Méjan, Place Nina Berberova, 13200 Arles.