New acquisitions by the Photography Committee
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In 2014, the Society of Friends of the Museum of Modern Art set up its own Photography Committee. Composed of some fifteen collectors and philanthropists, its goal is to expand the museum’s photographic collection, established in 1980, while taking account of its chronological, thematic and geographic diversity. The primary aim of the photographic collection was to highlight connections between photography and other fields of modern and contemporary creativity, thus distinguishing it from other photographic collections held by the City of Paris, more oriented towards the history of the city.
For almost ten years, the photography committee’s acquisitions have enabled the museum to uphold the key aims of the collection, based around a number of principles: expanding existing collections, prioritising the acquisition of original prints, and focusing on themes and geographical regions which have received little or no previous attention. Over time a thread has been established, firmly in tune with contemporary concerns, founded on the imperative of reflecting the evolution of our societies and the forces underpinning it, where landscape is no longer simply a decorative backdrop, but rather a hauting witness to the crises we are experiencing.
This approach is evident in the acquisitions made by the committee, where major figures from the French scene such as Suzanne Lafont, Éric Poitevin and Sophie Ristelhuber can be found alongside the works of international artists, including Mitch Epstein, Lebohang Kganye, Teresa Margolles, Oscar Muñoz and Walid Raad. New genealogies of the history of photography have thus taken shape through the acquisition of studio colllections, extending to some of the most contemporary experimental work in the photographic medium. As such, more than 120 pieces have been acquired since 2014, produced by some twenty different artists. The exhibition presents several sets of work, reflecting the rich variety and originality of the ideas embraced by the Photography Committee.
Curator : Fanny Schulmann
In partnership with 
