The Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris proposes the first major exhibition (at its François Mitterrand site) dedicated to the three members of the Nadar family. Félix Nadar (1820-1910), his brother Adrien Tournachon (1825-1903) and his son Paul Nadar (1856-1939) were all photographers, painters, artists and inventors… Some 300 pieces reveal the specificities of each of the three photographers, of their collaborations and rivalries; the exhibition embraces the entire history of the Nadars’ studios over nearly a century. Presenting original photographic prints, drawings, engravings, paintings and objects, the exhibition reveals the legacy of one of the major and lasting studios of the early era of photography. The thematically-organized exhibition is divided into three parts illustrating the characteristics of the Nadars’ adventure: ‘The Nadars’ by the Nadars’; Art and the Portrait Industry’;Art and Science’. This last section of the exhibition shows how the Nadars were in tune with the current affairs of their time and how their photographic work was often connected with scientific and technical discoveries.
Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BnF) François-Mitterrand / Gallery 2
Quai François-Mauriac, 75706 Paris Cedex 13, France
Access through the East entrance facing 25, rue Emile Durkheim (climbing the stairs) or via the Avenue de France (on the same level as the esplanade), near the entrance of the MK2-Bibliothèque cinema, 75013 Paris. Transport and access
Tickets:
Full price: 9 € (one ticket for two exhibitions: 11 €)
Reduced price: 7 € (one ticket for two exhibitions: 9 €)
Image: Paul Nadar, Sarah Bernhardt in Pierrot assassin, 1883, BnF, Department of Prints and Photography