Seeing the time in colour: The challenges of photography

This exhibition at the Centre Pompidou-Metz provides much more than a snapshot of the history of photography (13 July–18 November). Featuring more than 300 works by some 50 artists from the early 19th century to the present day, it offers a comprehensive overview of the 200-year-old medium and its challenges. The show comprises three sections, with each zooming in on a particular artist’s contribution to photography: ‘Infinite reproduction’ is centred around repetitious photos by Constantin Brancusi, ‘Encapsulating time’ investigates Harold ‘Doc’ Edgerton’s explosive imagery and ‘Fixing colour’ shines a light on the vibrant work of Saul Leiter and Helen Levitt. Other highlights of the show include rarely displayed seascapes by Gustave Le Gray, one of the pioneers of the medium, and the playful domestic photographs of William Eggleston.

Find out more from the Pompidou-Metz’s website.

Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary

Batterman Dives (1955), Harold Edgerton. Arlette and Gus Kayafas Collection. Photo: courtesy Palm Press, Inc./Kayafas Collection; © Harold Edgerton/MIT

The Great Wave, Sète (1857), Gustave Le Gray. Musée barrois, Bar-le-Duc. Photo: © N. Leblanc/Musée barrois

New York (1971) Helen Levitt. Galerie Thomas Zander, Cologne. Photo: courtesy Thomas Zander, Cologne; © Film Documents LLC