The Challenges that Shaped Photography

With this selection of more than 250 works by around 50 photographers, Sam Stourdzé – former director of the Musée de l’Élysée as well as Les Rencontres d’Arles – has compiled a unique overview of the major technical challenges that have shaped the history of photography. The showcase also offers a chance to discover exceptional photographic works: from rare plates showing the restoration of masterpieces from the Italian Renaissance, to rarely displayed seascapes by Gustave Le Gray, all the way to autochrome plates from the collection of Albert Kahn, which have been re-developed for this exhibition.

The presentation is divided into three sections (‘Infinite Reproduction’, ‘Encapsulating Time’, and ‘Fixing Colour’), with iconic representatives of the medium being featured in each chapter: Constantin Brancusi, who utilised the reproducibility of photography to capture hundreds of interpretations of his sculptures; Harold ‘Doc’ Edgerton, who revolutionised photography through his invention of the strobe light; and colour photography pioneers Saul Leiter and Helen Levitt, who transformed reality into poetry through their use of chromatic areas. This is complemented by the works of numerous artists from the early 19th century to the present day.