In 2021 the French Ministry of Culture launched a vast arts project, selecting 200 photographers for what they called la Grande commande photojournalisme (literally, The Large Photojournalism Order) with a designated theme – Snapshot of France: visions of a country having traversed a pandemic. It turned out to be the biggest governmental photo project in Europe, with a budget of 5.46 million euros. 😲

The exhibition France in Their Eyes – 200 photographers look at the 2020s at the French National Library (not far from our hotels) shows 450 photos from the project, selected from the 2,000 brand new shots that will soon be included in the institution’s vast photo collection, with a whole season of events around the subject to continue until this autumn.

This interesting (and huge) project obviously resulted in a myriad of approaches, both in style and subject matter, with some photographers attempting to crystallise the feel of the 2020s in their photos and other eschewing this temporality and taking a more media-based photojournalistic approach. There’s a feeling of wanting to show France as a country open to the world, but also tempted to retreat into itself.

This diversity does not stop the exhibition from classifying the photos into four (very) broad categories – Liberties, Equalities, Fraternities, and Potentialities, with an additional space for visitors to consult publications that have reported on the project, and another to view the 52-minute exhibition film written and directed by Mehdi Ahoudig.

The official website for the photo project proposes additional content, with information on each photographer and other exhibitions outside of Paris. Their Instagram page with more photos from the project is also worth checking out.

Linked with the exhibition:

— there are round tables, masterclasses and talks in French (with selected photographers from the project, a sociologist, author Nicolas Mathieu…)

— there’s a showing of four films on 23rd March from 2-7pm, under the title France: through filming, through photography,

— 90-minute guided visits are on offer, as well as 2-hour visit-workshops for families with kids at least 9 years old…

A catalogue of the exhibition (496 pages, 500 illustrations) is also available for around 49€ here at your local Amazon.

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The exhibition La France sous leurs yeux – 200 regards de photographes sur les années 2020 (France in Their Eyes – 200 photographers look at the 2020s) is at the BnF (here) from 19th March – 23rd June 2024

Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-7pm, and Sundays from 1-7pm

Admission: 10€ / 8€ / or 13€ for two exhibitions at the BnF

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Une publication partagée par Bibliothèque nationale France (@labnf)