CENTRE NATIONALE DE LA
PHOTOGRAPHIE
The Centre national de la photographie (CNP) in
Paris, France, is a cultural institution subsidized
by the Ministry of Culture and Communication
(De ́le ́gation aux Arts Plastiques). The mission of
the CNP is the promotion of contemporary pho-
tography and the support of young talent through
in-house and off-site exhibitions, the publication
of catalogues and a journal, educational and
cultural activities, and the co-production of
video works.
The CNP was created in 1982 at the initiative of
the Minister of Culture. The first CNP exhibition
entitled Moins Trente, Under Thirty, established a
link with young artists and has since become a
biannual event. Until 1984, the CNP sponsored
exhibitions at various sites in Paris. Beginning in
1984 to 1993, the CNP organized 180 exhibitions,
which were held at the Palais de Tokyo museum in
Paris. The Palais de Tokyo, the largest exhibition
space in the world devoted on a permanent basis
to photography, was previously housed in the
Museum of Modern Art. Since 1993, the CNP
has held its exhibitions at the Hotel Salomon
Rothschild, in the 8th arrondissment, the same
address serving for administrative offices and
other cultural activities. Additional exhibitions
are regularly organized to travel throughout
France and abroad, from Italy to China and
other countries. Exhibitions have been organized
around themes, such as ‘‘Botanica,’’ ‘‘Images
Indiennes,’’ ‘‘La Tour Eiffel,’’ or retrospectives of
the work of notable photographers such as Euge`ne
Atget, Robert Capa or introducing the photo-
graphic works by those not primarily known as
photographers, such as the writer Lewis Carroll
(Charles Dodgson). Yet many exhibitions intro-
duce new artists: in the late 1990s solo exhibitions
mounted by CNP included the Germans Anna
and Bernhard Blume, the French Sophie Calle
and Pascal Convert, Russian Boris Mikhailov,
Australian Tracey Moffatt, and the Japanese
Ryuji Miyamoto and Mariko Mori.
As well as exhibitions, the CNP successfully
launched a publication called ‘‘Photo Poche,’’ or
pocket book. These hand-size and inexpensive
publications provide affordable and diverse access
to works by various photographers or themes in
photography. The first two publications were on
the nineteenth century figure Nadar and Henri
Cartier-Bresson. Subsequent publications have
addressed Jacques-Henri Lartigue and the Amer-
ican Farm Securities Administration photography
project. Eighty-five different titles had been pub-
lished by 1999 and the book is now also pub-
lished in Great Britain and the United States.
The CNP has also been active in audiovisual
productions, providing an additional and highly
unique link between work in photography and the
general public. These audiovisual products exist in
several formats. The CNP and Garance copro-
duced 170 mini films directed by Agnes Varda
calledOne Minute for One Image. Each film is
commentary on a particular photograph and they
were distributed via television. The photographer
William Klein suggested an audiovisual product on
photographers analyzing their own work by means
of their contact sheets or work prints. This series is
calledContactsand includes thirteen-minute pro-
ductions on photographers such as Robert Dois-
neau, Don McCullin, Elliott Erwitt, Raymond
Depardon and Klein himself. Since 1997, the series
has branched out thematically to look at photogra-
phers’ work in ways other than through contact
sheets. These films are available on videocassettes
or DVDs.
Since 1983, the biannual Moins Trente is a source
of funds and recognition for young artists. Since
1989, the CNP also sponsors the richly endowed
Grand Prix International Henri-Cartier Bresson
(HCB Award) for creation at a higher level.
Robert Delpire was the first director of the
CNP, serving from 1982 until the autumn of- Since 1986, Regis Durand has been director.
Laurence Brun, working under both directors, has
been responsible for meeting with artists and pro-
viding other cultural services such as guided tours
or educational activities. In 1996, the CNP’s mis-
sion was redefined by the Delegation of Plastic
Arts under the Minister of Culture to specialize
in the support of young artists in the exploration
CENTRE NATIONALE DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE