Photo London 2019: Focus on Women and Italian Photographers

The fifth edition of Photo London concluded successfully at Somerset House, attracting over 100 galleries and a large audience of collectors and enthusiasts. The 2019 edition highlighted women in photography, with large-format prints by Rachel Louise Brown, Mary McCartney, and Susan Meiselas displayed in the central pavilion. A dedicated exhibition featured Vivian Maier. Nearly half of the participating galleries were led by women, and 40% of exhibited artists were female. The Discovery section included Matilde Damele's installation 'Exiles,' printed on garbage bags, inspired by the term 'euro-trash.' Italian photographers were prominently represented: Davide Monteleone at Valeria Bella gallery, alongside works by Ghirri, Basilico, and others; Gianni Berengo Gardin had a dedicated wall at Contrasto, with prints priced at €3,000. Other Italian galleries included 29 Arts n Progress, Podbielski Contemporary, Ncontemporary, Metronom, Paci Contemporary, Spazio Nuovo, and Visionquest 4Rosso. For 2020, founders Michael Benson and Fariba Farshad appointed Roderick van der Lee, former organizer of Unseen Photo Fair in Amsterdam, as director, aiming to make Photo London the world's largest photography fair.