Photography Collection

For the first time, Paris Photo is looking towards the Far East and inviting Japan as its guest of honour. This coincides with growing international interest in Japanese photography. Photography has been one of the most intense and major areas of Japanese culture since it was first introduced in the country in 1848, towards the end of the Edo Period. With work by more than 80 artists, Paris Photo will offer an exceptional overview of a unique vision, from the Meiji era to 1930’s avant-garde movements and the post-war years through to the most contemporary production. To date, no exhibition in Europe has brought together such a large number of Japanese photographers.
About thirty galleries in the General Sector will feature Japan’s great classic masters (Shoji Ueda, Ihei Kimura, Masahisa Fukase, Eikoh Hosoe, Shomei Tomastu) and contemporary artists (Hiroshi Sugimoto, Nobuyoshi Araki, Daido Moriyama, Naoya Hatakeyama). The Statement Section, comprising eight invited Japanese galleries, and the Project Room dedicated to video art will present the exciting work of a young generation of artists mainly born in the mid-sixties and the seventies. A publishers’ space will highlight the central role of photobooks on the Japanese photography scene. Paris Photo invited the independent curator and photography critic Mariko Takeuchi to curate “Spotlight on Japan”.

5th edition of the BMW- Paris Photo Prize
Launched in 2003 to support contemporary photography, the BMW–Paris Photo Prize has become in less than five years an important landmark in the world of international photography. A panel of prestigious international experts will select the winner of this 12,000 euro prize from among the living artists represented by Paris Photo 2008 participating galleries. The theme for 2008 is “Never Stand Still”. The short-listed works will be on view during Paris Photo and the award ceremony itself will take place on Thursday, November 13.

What’s happening in Paris during Paris Photo?
The 12th Paris Photo edition coincides with the biennial “Mois de la Photo” – a month-long photographic event throughout Paris. Its theme this year is “European Photography: between tradition and mutation”. In the framework of the “Close-Up” VIP program, VIPs and collectors will have privileged access to photography events in Paris such as the “Lee Miller” exhibition at Jeu de Paume, “The School of Dusseldorf” at the MAM Ville de Paris, “Tokyo Stories” at Artcurial, and “Walker Evans” at the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation.