World Photography Day: 10 Paris exhibitions to see this summer
World Photography Day falls every year on 19 August, and Paris 2026 is marking the occasion with rare generosity. This summer, the capital brings together powerful exhibitions, cross-cutting perspectives and a wide range of photographic mediums. From the banks of the Seine to the museums of the 14th arrondissement, the programme is rich and accessible.
Photography takes centre stage across Paris this summer
The Maison Européenne de la Photographie is hosting two distinct events until 13 September 2026. On one side, Camille Vivier traces twenty-five years of her career through nearly a hundred works. On the other, around thirty artists come together to celebrate the bicentenary of photography in an exhibition conceived as an A-to-Z of the medium.
Camille Vivier plays with the codes of the female body. Flesh enters into dialogue with inanimate objects, somewhere between sharp fashion editorials and underground art. By contrast, the group show “La photographie en toutes lettres” speaks to all audiences, from the uninitiated to the connoisseur, spanning the 1920s to the present day.
These two offerings make the MEP, at 5/7 rue de Fourcy in the 4th arrondissement, an unmissable stop to mark World Photography Day this year.
Bodies in levitation at the gates of the Tour Saint-Jacques
Photographer Mathieu Forget is presenting more than 40 images at the gates of the Tour Saint-Jacques, 88 rue de Rivoli in the 4th arrondissement, until 15 September 2026. Across four corners of the globe, he captures bodies taking flight, lifted off the ground and out of time. Each image composes a singular harmony between subject and setting.
This free-admission outdoor exhibition offers a suspended moment in the open air. It also fits perfectly into the spirit of celebration around the photographic medium that World Photography Day embodies.
“Images that appear joyful and carefree, yet conceal a reality that is sometimes far more raw.”
Marilyn, Elton John and Parisian nights through the lens
The Galerie de l’Instant, at 46 rue de Poitou in the 3rd arrondissement, traces the evolution of Marilyn Monroe until 15 September 2026. Through the lens of Sam Shaw, a close friend of the actress, visitors discover images of rare depth. From behind-the-scenes on film sets to intimate portraits and everyday moments, these photographs chart the journey of a woman who was so often mistreated. Admission is free.
At the Jeu de Paume, place de la Concorde in the 1st arrondissement, the exhibition “Fragile Beauty” presents hundreds of photographs drawn from the collection of Sir Elton John and David Furnish, which numbers more than 7,000 works. Five thematic sections explore desire, fashion, celebrity and photojournalism. Names such as Robert Mapplethorpe, Irving Penn, Diane Arbus and Herbert List feature among the artists on show, until 27 September 2026.
Meanwhile, the Galerie Roger-Viollet, at 6 rue de Seine in the 6th arrondissement, is presenting a selection of nocturnal photographs of Paris until 3 October 2026. The glow of apartment windows, shop fronts and clubs lights up the capital in a thousand different ways. Admission is free.
- Camille Vivier at the MEP, until 13 September 2026, 5/7 rue de Fourcy, 4th arrondissement
- Levitation by Mathieu Forget at the gates of the Tour Saint-Jacques, until 15 September 2026, free admission
- Marilyn Monroe by Sam Shaw at the Galerie de l’Instant, until 15 September 2026, free admission
- Fragile Beauty at the Jeu de Paume, Elton John and David Furnish collection, until 27 September 2026
- Paris, ouvert la nuit at the Galerie Roger-Viollet, until 3 October 2026, free admission
Kourtney Roy and the anatomy of tourism at the Cité de l’Économie
At the Cité de l’Économie, 1 place du Général Catroux in the 17th arrondissement, photographer Kourtney Roy shines a light on our contradictions around tourism. Her colourful, humorous style dismantles the myths of travel, caught between dream imagery and the financial, economic and cultural excesses it generates. The exhibition runs until 20 September 2026.
Her images, shot in a deliciously retro style, conceal a reality that is sometimes far more raw. This offering adds further depth to Paris’s rich programme around World Photography Day.
Robert Capa and the ages of man: two perspectives on humanity
The Musée de la Libération, at 4 avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy in the 14th arrondissement, is dedicating an exhibition to Robert Capa until 10 December 2026. Room by room, the institution retraces the life and career of this great war photographer. His incisive eye covers the major conflicts of the 20th century, from the Spanish Civil War to the Normandy landings and the war in Indochina.
Meanwhile, the Musée de l’Homme, at 17 place du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre in the 16th arrondissement, is presenting “Les Grands âges” until 3 January 2027. This exhibition is the fruit of a collaboration between biodemographer Samuel Pavard, professor at the Muséum and specialist in ageing, and photographer Nikos Aliagas. Art and science intertwine to offer a meditation on humanity and its relationship with the passage of time.
These two exhibitions extend the momentum of World Photography Day well beyond the summer. They also serve as a reminder that photography remains a powerful tool for telling the story of history and the human condition. World Photography Day finds a particularly resonant echo in Paris 2026, carried by committed institutions and artists with singular visions.
