The exhibitions are budding in the capital, and choosing is starting to get complicated… No panic: the Do It Team proposes its tier list of the best photo exhibitions to rush to see in Paris! In the shots of artists, there is something for every taste: between the most beautiful images of David Bowie, or the views of mythical artists by Denis Morris, it's up to you… unless the cinephiles let themselves be tempted by the Paris of Agnès Varda. On the timeless classic side, a huge retrospective dedicated to Robert Doisneau enchants, and for something new, let’s head to the festival of young European photography Circulation(s)!
Mr. Jones Long Hair – David Bowie at Galerie MR08
He came to meet us and indeed, he was completely mind blowing… The ultimate Starman David Bowie, legend of glam rock and a major part of music of the second half of the 20th century, has landed at the charming Galerie MR08, hidden in the heart of the Marais… and he won’t leave it until June 22nd. The opportunity to rediscover this multi-faceted genius with exclusive photos and through an original lens: that of his brother Terry.
We all have a memory with a song of David Bowie, and we already know his great impersonations (Ziggy Stardust, Major Tom…). But what we know less, when we remove the mask of the rockstar, is his brother Terry, diagnosed schizophrenic and who took his own life in 1985. Yet, he was a major inspiration for the artist (we think of the mystical track All the mad men). In this splendid photo tribute, the hanging is designed as a storytelling through the imaginary gaze of this troubled half-brother, making the selection of these magnificent photographs even more touching. Among the selection of more than 70 commented shots: unique works by Philippe Auliac, the French paparazzo of rock, almost never exhibited. But also portraits of iconic rock figures (Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Lou Reed…) who marked the career of the Thin White Duke. And at the narration of the scenography: David Lawrence, in whose writing one finds beatnik inspirations, a literary movement so dear to Bowie and his big brother. An exhibition that pulls on our heartstrings, to the sound of a divine soundtrack, which makes us believe again in life on Mars and in Modern Love.
Mr Jones Long Hair, David Bowie, Saturday March 22 to Sunday June 22, 2025. Galerie Pop Up MR08, 8 rue des Francs Bourgeois, Paris 3rd. Friday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Monday to Thursday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Entry from €18.
Robert Doisneau: Instants Donnés at Musée Maillol
It’s a presentation and enhancement of some 400 works captured by the greatest French photographer that takes place until October 12 at the magnificent Musée Maillol, a stone’s throw from Boulevard Saint-Germain. We wander among the most beautiful shots of the great Robert Doisneau, humanist and capturer of moments, through the major periods of his life and the films that accompany them… An exhibition filled with sincerity and human magic.
No one photographed the moment and life like him. That’s surely what makes Robert Doisneau one of the most significant and timeless photographers. The artist, to whom we owe, of course, the cult Baiser à l’Hôtel de Ville, amassed an invaluable body of work of nearly 450,000 photos! Starting with his photos of children, he captures disobedience, freedom, curiosity. When he approaches the adult world, he distinguishes himself in portraits of the most fashionable artists of the time: we think notably of the mythical portrait Les pains de Picasso, whose author is often forgotten, or his portraits of writers like Simone de Beauvoir. In advertising, he innovates. At Vogue, he excels and ironizes. In the suburbs and mines, he denounces and sublimates. But wherever he goes, he captures moments and reality better than anyone. This exhibition anchored in reality presents iconic photographs like L'information scolaire (1966) or L’enfant papillon, the favorite of his daughter, who also participated with her sister in the realization of this unmissable exhibition.
Instant donnés, Robert Doisneau, April 17, 2025 to October 12, 2025 at Musée Maillol, 59-61 rue de Grenelle, Paris 7th. Open every day from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Entry from €16.50.
Le Paris d’Agnès Varda at Musée Carnavalet
We know her as a filmmaker, pioneer of the Nouvelle Vague (Cléo de 5 à 7, Le Bonheur, then Les plages d’Agnès…) and feminist activist – notably through her advocacy for abortion rights with L’une chante, l’autre pas (1977) and the signature of the Manifesto of the 343 – but also for her fight for gender equality in cinema and a female gaze. Agnès Varda is less known for her photography, yet it is key in her life path and artistic work. Not only photographer for portrait commissions or press reports, the artist also devoted herself to a personal photography practice, reflection of her being and her work.
The exhibition “Le Paris de Varda, de ci, de là” reveals this dispersed, forgotten and little-known photographic collection to the public, presented for the first time thanks to the investigative work of the scientific curator of the Musée Carnavalet, Anne de Mondenard. She dug for two years into the archives of Ciné Tamaris and the artist’s photographic collections, with the help of Agnès’s daughter, Rosalie, to find these treasures. At the heart of this exhibition? Paris as a backdrop and her love for her workshop on rue Daguerre, place of life and creation. We delight in these 130 black and white prints, projections of excerpts from her films and interviews, scribbled letters, posters and on-set photos, and we leave changed, with the impression of knowing her more.
Le Paris d’Agnès Varda, de-ci, de-là, Musée Carnavalet – Histoire de Paris, 23 rue Madame de Sévigné, Paris 3rd, from April 9 to August 24, 2025. Full price: €15. Open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Reservations recommended on Billetterie Paris Musées.
Music + Life at Maison Européenne de la Photographie
We’ve all already stopped on his iconic photos, without ever knowing it was him! Dennis Morris takes over the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, not far from Place des Vosges. Let’s meet there until May 18 to admire true big stars of music.
Dennis Morris, to keep it short, rocks big time. This big boss of counter-culture photography has already broken codes and prejudices from his youngest age, photographing Hackney neighborhoods, establishing himself as one of the first Black photographers in social England of the time. Not even 15, his destiny takes a turn at a Bob Marley concert in London: the reggae king tells the future photo monument he already is one. The next day, Morris joins the Wailers tour, capturing intimate and sincere shots. Since then, he’s never stopped following artists, quickly moving on from Marley to the pantheon of music, notably the Sex Pistols, giving nonchalant views that tell the punk movement. Finally, in the last room we discover other VIP heads of pop culture: Patti Smith, Oasis, Les Rita Mitsouko or the magnificent cover of the flagship album Broken English by the late Marianne Faithfull. Three words: mega class.
Dennis Morris – Music + Life, Until May 18. Maison Européenne de la Photographie, 5/7 rue de Fourcy, Paris 4th. Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., weekend from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Entry from €14.
Festival Circulation(s) at the Centquatre
The festival Circulation(s) returns for its 15th edition and takes over the Centquatre, coolest art and culture spot of the 19th, until June 1st. In this retrospective of emerging European photography: a focus on territorial issues.
Created in 2011, Circulation(s) makes contemporary and committed issues audible through the eyes of young European photographers. This year, in the context of the rise of nationalism, a large place is given to territorial questions through the ultra-aesthetic works of young talents. Result: the artists reconnect with their origins, their values, the Earth, their bodies… and we loved syncing with their identity questions and intimacy. Our big crush: the Italian Claudia Fugatti and her series Metamorphosis, which, through inverted and wild-colored shots, invites viewers to reconsider the natural world as a living entity, in line with the thinking of ecologist philosopher David Abram, for whom the ecological crisis is fundamentally a crisis of perception. In short, between Y2K mood photos and crucial topics, we rush to discover the great artists of tomorrow!
Festival Circulation(s) at CENTQUATRE-PARIS, 5 rue Curial, Paris 19th. Exhibition open from Wednesday to Sunday, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., and on Tuesdays during school holidays. Free entry.
