On ne se souvient que des photographies at Bétonsalon, Paris

The exhibition 'On ne se souvient que des photographies' at Bétonsalon in Paris (September 13 – November 23, 2013) shifts focus from photographs as transparent records of artworks and exhibitions to critical objects of study. Curated by art historian Rémi Parcollet, the show brings together ten research projects by students of the École du Louvre. A long column of study documents occupies the center, while a horizontal plane displays catalogues, photocopies, photographs, slideshows, and contact sheets. Works include William Klein's 1960 Vogue photograph of a top model viewing a classical painting, Ugo Mulas's documentation of Robert Rauschenberg's works in the Giardini in Venice (1964), and Antoine Espinasseau's 2012 image of two women viewing an Andreas Gursky photograph. Photographs by André Morin, Hans Namuth, Günther Becker, Martha Cooper, and Reiner Ruthenbeck are presented not only for content but for formal qualities, oscillating between objectivity and subjectivity, science and art.