“France, un album de famille”, Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s tender new exhibition
Immerse yourself in an intimate and generous portrait of today’s France – “France, un album de famille”, the new exhibition by Yann Arthus-Bertrand in collaboration with demographer Hervé Le Bras, takes over the sumptuous salons d’honneur at Paris’ Hôtel de Ville. Conceived as a large collective album, this series of portraits celebrates the diversity of faces, professions, ages and ties that weave our daily lives: families, colleagues, friends, animals, work gestures, and scenes of life captured with great humanity.
Spirit and intention
Yann Arthus-Bertrand, true to his empathetic eye, wanted to bring a gentle, unifying voice to the table: photographing people “as they are”, with dignity and warmth, far from clichés and grand speeches. By posing French people with those who matter to them, he creates a visual narrative in which the intimate meets the collective. For his part, Hervé Le Bras provides a demographic and textual perspective that situates each image within the social and statistical reality of the country, a dialogue between image and text that enriches the overall reading.
What you’ll see
150 large-format portraits, photographed on warm-toned burlap, displayed in the richly decorated salons of the Hôtel de Ville. The images are posed, often frontal, with meticulous attention to framing and lighting: it’s a portrait that’s both classic and contemporary, highlighting the singularity of each individual while showing the multiplicity of ways to be French today. We recognize craftsmen, teachers, retirees, parents, young people, couples and groups, all fragments of a large common album.
Why go there ?
For the beauty of the portraits, for the sensitive encounter with stories of ordinary lives made exceptional by the framing and lighting, and for the collective and educational dimension provided by Hervé Le Bras’s demographic texts. The scenography, set in the heart of a sumptuous historic site, creates a stimulating contrast between the brilliance of the settings and the simplicity of the human snapshots: an invitation to reflection, empathy and a discreet celebration of what connects us.
More information
The exhibition is supported by the GoodPlanet Foundation, and is accompanied by the project’s publication/book (available at the on-site boutique and in bookshops). If you wish to prepare your visit, you can already preview some content and images on the platforms of the foundation and
Essential practical information
The exhibition runs from October 20 to November 2, 2025, in the Salons d’Honneur at Hôtel de Ville, 5 rue de Lobau, 75004 Paris.
Access is free, but only on reservation of a time slot via the Mairie de Paris website or the dedicated ticket office; ID may be required at the entrance.
Approximate opening hours: 10am-7pm (closing at 6pm on Wednesdays), with nocturnes on certain evenings (e.g. extended until 9pm on special dates).
Subway: Hôtel de Ville (lines 1 and 11).
Remember to book in advance – slots are often snapped up quickly during school vacations and weekends.
An exhibition to remember, meet and take your time
Take someone you love with you, stroll between the portraits, read the labels that tell as much as the faces, and leave with the gentle impression of having leafed through a large, reinvented family album for an hour.
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