Corps à corps, histoire(s) de la photographie: the humanist photo exhibition at the Centre Pompidou

The Centre Pompidou unveils a few treasures from its photographic collections, in a brand-new exhibition on view from September 6, 2023 to March 25, 2024.

More than 500 photographs and documents, from the museum's public collection and a private collection belonging to Marin Karmitz, allow us to admire the art of the portrait, the self-portrait and the nude. Entitled Corps à corps, histoire(s) de la photographie, this exhibition brings together works by historical and contemporary artists from the 20th and 21st centuries.

This major photo exhibition puts thehuman in the spotlight: the various artists featured in the exhibition have, each in their own way, explored the art and manner of depicting men and women, the emotions, the subtle signs that make each subject a unique being with a singular personality. Berenice Abbott, Laure Albin-Guillot, Walker Evans, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Mark Cohen, Shomei Tomatsu, Barbara Probst, William Klein, Josef Koudelka, Andy Warhol, Helga Paris, Leon Levinstein, Vivian Maier, Man Ray and many others are featured in this exceptional photographic journey.

• To be read
• Tips for the week of December 23 - 29, 2024 in Paris: free or cheap outings
• What to do in Paris in December 2024? Discover this month's events in the Paris Region
• Free museums and monuments this Sunday: places to visit in Paris on January 5, 2025

Whatever the artists' origins, their styles or the years that separate them, all these photographers seem to share a common language. The exhibition reveals the secret dialogues that link these works, the shared techniques, the inspirations, or on the contrary, the oppositions that create new ways of photographing the human.

Each in their own way, these artists have answered some fascinating questions. How do you capture the soul of a person, how do you convey their unique identity in a single image? How do you make the forgotten or hidden visible? How do you tell the story of individuality, or, on the contrary, of belonging to a group?

Studies, posed or live photographs, series or single shots: these 500 images presented at the Centre Pompidou illustrate a whole art of photography. An exhibition not to be missed at the Centre Beaubourg!