The Dominance of Monographic Exhibitions in French Photographic Institutions: Data, Criticisms and Impact on Artists’ Visibility

Considering the importance of collaborative and collective work in photography, as demonstrated in this volume, it is striking that contemporary photography exhibitions appear, paradoxically, to take a very different route. The medium of photography has the reputation of favouring solo shows—a far cry from the collective and collaborative tradition that is at the heart of our discussion. Through the example of the Jeu de Paume (Paris), this chapter shows that photography exhibitions are more frequently monographic than other art exhibitions, even though monographic exhibitions are generally contested in the art field, as demonstrated by an overview of the political criticism against this form, in curatorial studies, historical studies as well as feminist studies. Should we therefore understand that photographic exhibitions and institutions are reactionary because they favour monographies? This chapter shows that it is not exactly the case: if their form is still certainly questionable, monographic exhibitions are nonetheless politicized, but according to different logics. The Jeu de Paume, for example, uses them to challenge the male canon in photographic history and to protect and foreground the photographers, among whom the most fragile. This study thus shows how contemporary institutions can articulate and transform exhibition practices and still be politically engaged though different discourses.