Paris Photo 2023: Record Attendance and New Digital Sector

The 26th edition of Paris Photo closed at the Grand Palais Éphémère near the Eiffel Tower, with unofficial reports suggesting over 60,000 visitors in the first three days alone, surpassing last year's total. New artistic director Anna Planas attributed the increased attendance to the introduction of a dedicated digital sector curated by Nina Roehrs, which presented works from the 1970s to the present, including pieces by David Horvitz that critique image overproduction. Planas, a Spanish-born curator who built her career at Magnum Photos and co-founded Temple gallery, emphasized that the digital sector attracted a diverse audience and expanded the fair's exploration of photography's plurality. The fair featured 190 exhibitors, 150 international museum groups, and 50 artist signings, with notable physical works by Sinta Werner, Ana Teresa Barboza, and Anais Boudot. The Curiosa section for emerging artists showcased experimentation, including Vivian Galvan's camera obscura and Rebekka Deubner's unique photograms. Italian galleries had a strong presence, presenting high-quality landscape photography. Planas expressed satisfaction with the collective effort and announced that next year's edition will return to the renovated Grand Palais, promising a larger project.