The first photographic image to be permanently fixed came into being 200 years ago, in 1826, under the deft touch of Nicéphore Niépce, a French inventor from Burgundy.
France is celebrating this turning point in the history of mankind through a yearlong series of cultural events. The French Institute in London is joining in on the festivities, all the more delighted to do so as the United Kingdom is home to many of the pioneers of photography and was the scene of multiple technical breakthroughs. The Institute is to celebrate this anniversary with the knowledge that photography was not the invention of a single moment, but of several, and that the history of photography was made on both sides of the Channel.
Celebrating photography means celebrating a very wide variety of findings, innovations, revelations, creations and recreations, as the photographic discipline is at a crossroads between art and technique, between science and the humanities, between craft and technology. We have therefore tailored our programme to bring together a collection of formats as well as a large scope of ideas and themes explored.
We’ll also address the current challenges photography faces, from the radical proliferation of images through social media and the Internet to the rise of AI. It is therefore especially meaningful to consider photography, a means which revolutionized the way the world represents itself and its relationship with reality, now that a new revolution is underway.
Our programme is a motley one, fashioned with our many partners: it includes an ambitious exhibition at the French Institute, film screenings, workshops, masterclasses and support to exhibitions and bespoke projects throughout the year, both on-site and off-site.
This project has been awarded the Bicentenaire de la Photographie label by the French Ministry of Culture and forms part of the official programme for the Bicentenary, which runs from 1 September 2026 to 30 September 2027.
This initiative is also supported by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Institut français in Paris, as part of the strategy for the international export of the cultural and creative industries.
- : J H Lartigue ©Ministère de la Culture (France), MAP-AAJHL
