Irving Penn's Fashion Photography at MEP, Paris

The Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP) in Paris presents 'Penn & Fashion. La Mode sous les projecteurs', an exhibition spanning sixty years of Irving Penn's influential fashion photography. The show runs from September 30, 2026, to January 17, 2027, at 5/7 rue de Fourcy, 75004. Penn, a pivotal figure in 20th-century photography, transformed haute couture into pure lines, volumes, and light, working with a neutral background and precise lighting. His subjects included creations by Dior and Balenciaga, modeled by Lisa Fonssagrives and Jean Patchett. Later works captured the boldness of Ungaro and Courrèges, the styles of Marisa Berenson and Lauren Hutton, and the cuts of Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld. A significant collaboration with Issey Miyake highlighted Penn's focus on sculptural garments and essential framing. The exhibition also features his color work from John Galliano to Christian Lacroix, and his beauty pages for Vogue, which verge on abstraction. Penn never separated art, fashion, and commerce, uniting them in a pursuit of simplicity. The MEP is open Wednesday and Friday 11am-8pm, Thursday 11am-10pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am-8pm, closed Monday and Tuesday. Admission is €13, reduced €8, free for under 12s.