Black & White exhibition at the BNF

For lovers of black and white photography, we're off to delve into the BNF's rich heritage. Among the autumn-winter exhibitions in Paris, the Banque Nationale de France François Mitterrand presents, from October 17, 2023 to January 24, 2024, a magnificent exhibition of major black-and-white works from its collections.

Nadar, Man Ray, Ansel Adams, Willy Ronis and many other masters of photography, both French and international, are brought together for a retrospective covering almost 150 years of the history of black and white photography, from its origins in the 19th century to contemporary creation.

Black & white is more than just a printing method; it has become an integral part of the history of photography. Its transformations, from the 19th century to the present day, demonstrate its aesthetic power. Even with the emergence of color in the 1970s, black & white persists, renewed as a powerful form of artistic expression, accentuating graphics and matter. Indeed, it is this timeless, universal, almost memorial dimension of black & white that continues to captivate, where color mainly translates the contemporary world.

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Highlights of the exhibition:

• An aesthetic, formal and sensitive approach to black & white, highlighting the creation of the image: graphic effects, play of shadows, light and rendering of materials.
  
• Focus on photographers such as Man Ray, Ansel Adams, Mario Giacomelli and Valérie Belin, who have explored the boundaries of black & white.
  
• Focus on the quality of prints, the diversity of techniques and photographic papers, and the impact of black & white in publications, books and magazines.
  
• Discover the breadth of BnF's photographic collections, among the richest in the world with nearly six million prints.
  

All in all, this exhibition offers us an opportunity to appreciate and connect with this timeless form of photography. A not-to-be-missed opportunity for those wishing to enrich their view and understanding of this art form.