Here at the Hôtels Paris Rive Gauche group we love photography, so November – photo month in Paris – is one of our favourite times of year! Here’s our mini-guide…

The selection for this year’s Paris Photo Month is as interesting as the poster is garish (see at the bottom of the post). We couldn’t possible mention everyone here (you can download the complete programme as a PDF file here), but here’s our quick selection of exhibitions that look particularly interesting…

Bibliothèque nationale de France, site Richelieu. 29th Octobrer 2008 – 25th January 2009.
In 1971, the Bibliothèque Nationale presented an exhibition called “New photography of the United States”, showing the work of young Americans who were unknown at the time. Their work broke with the established European style of “humanist” photography. Photos by Diane Arbus, Lee Friedlander, Garry Winogrand, and many others were exposed. The collection of the BnF has grown over the years to include over 2,000 photos from the time, and this exhibition shows around 300 of them based on a selection of themes.
More information: here

Centre Culturel Irlandais, 5 rue des Irlandais. 30th October – 19th December. Laucnh cocktail 29th October from 6.30 – 8pm.
With Faith, the photographer Jackie Nickerson explores the hidden world of Irish Catholicism and looks at the corridors, libraries, kitchens and refectories of Catholic buildings. Her portraits of priests and nuns, architectural details or still lives are both intimate and slightly absurd.
More information: here

École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture Paris-Malaquais, site Jacques Callot, 1 rue Jacques Callot. 10th – 29 November. Lauch cocktail 13th November at 6.30pm.
L’ENSAPM hosts an exhibition by Benoit Grimbert. UA selection of 20 photos taken from a new series taken at the northern edge of the London suburbs. Usually the names of the places photographed give the name to Benoit Grimbert’s exhibitions, but here he has preferred just the name of the road, A406, North Circular Road, because the photos prompt questions about territorial identity, specifically on the northern periphery of London. The road is used as a common thread, appearing or disappearing indifferently, leaving towns to organise themselves along its edge.
More information: here

LC Galerie, 23 rue Jean Mermoz. 30th October – 21st November. Launch cocktail 29th October at 6.30pm.
After quirky collections of photos of London, Paris and Tokyo (photo), the photographers Valérie Weill and Philippe Chancel turn their cameras to Brussels. Will definitely be an eye-opener…
More information: here

Maison de l’architecture en Île-de-France, 148 rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin. Du 23 October au 14 November.
Frédéric Delangle, who won our photo prize en 2007, exposes his urban diptychs called “Third Territory”.
More information: here

Musée de Montparnasse, 21 avenue du Maine. 31st October – 23rd November.
The exhibition “Tobacco Factories” is made up of colour photographs taken in old tobacco factories in Agrinio, Volos, Kavala, Drama and Xanthi, in Greece. Around the end of the 19th Century and early 20th Century these Greek villages saw their physiognomy change radically with the development of industrialisation. Today, most of these industrial buildings are abandoned and forgotten. Over four years Kamilo Nollas photographed them, a way of bringing them to everyone’s attention once again.
More information: here

Baumet Sultana Gallery, 20 rue Saint Claude. 15th November – 20th December.
The Swiss photographer Walter Pfeiffer has been working since the 70s, using his work to explore eroticism and identity through polaroids. Ahead of his time, many contemporary photographer such as Terry Richardson, Jack Pierson and Wolfgang Tillmans have been inspired by his style. For Photo Month his shows a new series of colourful and slightly trashy shots of young adults.
More information: here

You’ll find the programme for the areas around our hotels just below.
For the full programme in PDF format, click here.
The official “Mois de la Photo 2008” site is here.