Photography Exhibitions in Paris

We find that there is an international photography fair in Paris and several of the museums and galleries are displaying great photography, including Annie Leibovitz, whose work we have seen in books and articles, but never (until now) in person.  Several of the exhibitions are listed in the Paris weekly guides, others we just find as we wander around the city.

The first exhibition we visit, at the Musée du Luxembourg in the Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Gardens), contains works of Vivian Maier, a French-American woman who spent much of her life as a nanny and housekeeper, mostly in Chicago, and carried a camera everywhere she went.  Her work was discovered and recognized after her death, leaving a legacy of over 150,000 photographs.

Vivian Maier

Next, while crossing the Seine, we spot a sign on the wall of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, one of the five academies of the Institut de France, advertising a display of the work of Annie Leibovitz in their Palais de l'Institut de France.  We enter and enjoy, trying, along with everyone else in the rooms, to recognize all the famous people she has photographed.

Spotted on the street

Annie Leibovitz

The third exhibition that we visit is located in Jeu de Paume (one of the small museums in the Jardin des Tuileries (Tuileries Gardens), facing Place de la Concorde) and is from the collection of Thomas Walther donated to the Museum of Modern Art in New York, an assortment of European and North American avant-garde photography from the first half of the twentieth century.

Thomas Walther collection

It's been a serious day of photography and we've seen some incredible works in the three exhibitions.  One of the great things about visiting Paris is that one never knows what one will find.  Just wander, look around, and see what there is to discover this time!

Weekend Wander in Paris

We have a whole day to wander around Paris and we get up early and head out onto les rues de Paris.  We walk from our hotel near the Louvre over to the Seine, following the river toward Place Saint-Michel, then through the Left Bank streets to the Luxembourg Gardens.

Walking to the Seine, Eiffel Tower in the distance

As we cross the Seine, we get great cold-weather views up and down the river.

Up and Down the Seine

In the Luxembourg Gardens, near the Sorbonne and the location of the French Senate, we find people enjoying themselves in the brisk weather and the fall/winter plantings.

Luxembourg Gardens

In the distance, the Senate

Continuing through the gardens

Returning to the Seine, we view the repairs in process at Notre Dame, restoring the roof, spire, and parts of the stone sanctuary that fell into the cathedral in the 2019 fire.  The work is projected to take 15 to 20 years.

Notre Dame

Continuing along the Seine toward the Eiffel Tower, we pass bridges, barges, quais, and people out enjoying the beautiful walk along the river or just sitting and contemplating as they watch the water and river traffic go by.

Along the Seine

Cutting through the Jardin des Tuileries, stretching from the Louvre to Place de la Concorde, we find a new small sculpture garden (at least, new to us), some of it made to resemble parts of the forest and gardens.

Sculpture gardens in the Tuileries

We walk a short loop around the Tuileries, passing Place Vendome and Place de la Concorde, then heading back past the Louvre, the city hall, and 56 Rivoli, the Aleliers d'Artists, also known as the Paris Art Squat, that we toured on a previous trip to Paris.

Place Vendome, Place de la Concorde

City hall, art squat

We circle back, further into the Right Bank and pass the Centre Pompidou modern art museum in the Beaubourg area of the city.  Unfortunately, the mechanical fountains are not running today, but we get a great tour of the area.

Centre Pompidou and it's fountains

Continuing straight, we end up back at the Jardin des Tuileries, near our hotel, after another long and fabulous stroll through one of our favorite cities.

Back at Jardin des Tuileries