Paris Photo

International photography art fair

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Paris Photo is an annual international art fair dedicated to photography.^[1] It was founded in 1997, and is held in November at the Grand Palais exhibition hall and museum complex, located at the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement in Paris.^[2]^[3]^[4]

The fair consists of photo-based artwork alongside a public programme of exhibitions, prizes, art signings and talks. The website states that it includes 6 sectors, including a 'digital' sector and a 'book' sector.^[1]

History

Founded in 1997, Paris Photo presented 53 galleries for its first edition at the Carrousel du Louvre. The Fair was acquired by Reed expositions France in 2001 and relocated to the Grand Palais in 2011.

In 2006, public attendance was 40,000. In 2017, over 64,500 visitors attended over the course of the 5-day fair.^[5]

Florence Bourgeois is its current director alongside Christopher Wiesner, the Artistic Director.^[6] She was preceded by Julien Frydman (2011–2015), Guillaume Piens (2008–2010), Valerie Foujerole (2005–2007), and Rik Gadella (1997–2004).

In the past, there have been two sister editions of Paris Photo: Paris Photo Los Angeles from 2013 through 2015 at the Paramount Pictures Studios in Hollywood and Photo London at Old Billings Gate in 2007. The inaugural edition in New York City was postponed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The artwork was displayed online instead.^[7]^[8]^[9]

The Paris Photo–Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Awards

First taking place in November 2012, The PhotoBook Awards have three major categories. This includes: First PhotoBook, PhotoBook of the Year, and Photography Catalogue of the Year.

After a call for submissions, a shortlist is selected by a preliminary jury. The shortlisted books are exhibited at Paris Photo and profiled in The PhotoBook Review, Aperture's biannual publication dedicated to the photo book, which is released at Paris Photo and distributed through Aperture magazine, and online. A final jury announces the three category winners at the Fair. The winner of the First PhotoBook category receives a $10,000 prize.^[1] The winners of the other two categories each receive a commemorative award.

List of previous PhotoBook Award Winners

2016 Award winners

PhotoBook of the Year: Gregory Halpern, ZZYZX. Mack, 2016. Designed by Lewis Chaplin.
First PhotoBook ($10,000 prize): Michael Christopher Brown, Libyan Sugar. Twin Palms Publishers, 2016. Designed by Brown and Ramon Pez.
Photography Catalogue of the Year: Karolina Puchała-Rojek and Karolina Ziębińska-Lewandowska, Wojciech Zamecznik: Photo-graphics. Fundacja Archeologia Fotografii, 2015. Designed by Anna Piwowar and Magdalena Piwowar.
Jurors' Special Mention: Annett Gröschner and Arwed Messmer, Taking Stock of Power: An Other View of the Berlin Wall. Hatje Cantz, 2016. Designed by Carsten Eisfeld.

2017 Award winners

PhotoBook of the Year: Dayanita Singh, Museum Bhavan. Steidl, 2017. Designed by Singh and Gerhard Steidl.
First PhotoBook ($10,000 prize): Mathieu Asselin, Monsanto: A Photographic Investigation. Kettler/Acte Sud, 2017. Designed by Ricardo Báez.
Photography Catalogue of the Year: Mattie Boom, Hans Rooseboom, New Realities: Photography in the 19th Century. Rijiksmuseum/Nai, 2017. Designed by Irma Boom Office (Irma Boom/Tariq Heijboer).
Juror's Special Mention: Carlos Spottorno and Guillermo Abril, La Grieta (The Crack). Astiberri, 2016.

2018 Award winners

PhotoBook of the Year: Laia Abril, On Abortion. Dewi Lewis Publishing.
Photography Catalogue of the Year: Ursula Schulz-Dornburg,The Land in Between. Mack.
First PhotoBook ($10,000 prize): Stanley Wolukau-Wanambwa, One Wall a Web. Roma Publications.
Juror's Special Mention: Pixy Liao, Experimental Relationship Vol. 1. Jiazazhi Press.

2019 Award winners

PhotoBook of the Year: Sohrab Hura, The Coast. Ugly Dog (self-published).
Photography Catalogue of the Year: Hannah Darabi, Enghelab Street, A Revolution through Books: Iran 1979–1983. Spector Books, and Le Bal.
First PhotoBook ($10,000 prize): Gao Shan, The Eighth Day. Imageless.
Juror's Special Mention: Drew Nikonowicz, This World and Others Like It. Publishers: Fw:Books and Yoffy Press.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Paris Photo international art fair – in pictures". The Guardian. 9 November 2018. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
^ Reyburn, Scott (14 November 2014). "In Paris, Photography and Old Masters Meet". The New York Times.
^ Fayard, Judy (30 October 2014). "Top 5 Exhibitions at Paris's Le Mois de la Photo". The Wall Street Journal.
^ Bender, Ruth (13 November 2014). "Paris Photo Fair Keeps Offering a Broader Range of Art". The Wall Street Journal.
^ Nate Freeman (December 16, 2014), Paris Photo Loses Director Just Months Before Fair in Los Angeles The New York Observer.
^ Vankin, Deborah. "Paris Photo, Photo Independent fairs hit Hollywood this weekend". Los Angeles Times.
^ AnOther (27 April 2020). "You Can Now Visit One of the World's Largest Photo Fairs Online". AnOther. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
^ Zonneveld, Rolien (24 April 2020). "See 1200 powerful photographs from the comfort of your home". i-D. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
^ "Coronavirus Outbreak Forces Closure of U.S. Museums & Postponement of Art Fairs (Update)". Hypebeast. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 2021-04-30.