The Centre national de la photographie (National Photography Centre-CNP) will offer a preview of the Michael Snow exhibition to be held January 29-March 20 2000 at the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild, 11 rue Berryer, in Paris’ eight arrondissement. It is also presenting a series of film shots Contacts (distributed by Actes Sud) shown on video monitors.

The CNP was established in 1982 by France’s Ministry of Culture. Headed by Régis Durand since 1996, its mission is to popularize contemporary photography and support the work of young artists working in this field.

Michael Snow
An Overview: Photos 1962-1999

Michael Snow (born 1929) has achieved an extraordinary diverse production. This Canadian artist has worked in painting, sculpture, performance and photography, but he is most known in Europe for his films. His approach in each of these media is original, relevant and thought-provoking. Taking as his subject the representation of reality, in each of these media he brings out its particular character and impact on the process of representation.

Snow makes particularly good use of his extensive knowledge of art history and his experience as a cinematographer. He has often been ahead of the work of much younger artists. Ever since he began taking photos nearly 40 years ago, his work has emphasized the specificity of the medium itself - including the use of light and time, and the effects of various formats and materials (prints on paper or other materials displayed on walls or laid out on the floor, photos brought into association with other objects of presented in sculptural form, the use of light boxes and light projections).

The Contacts Film Series

Contacts is a collection of film shorts (13 minutes) conceived by William Klein, in which some of the greatest contemporary photographers comment on their contact sheets of working proofs. A contact sheet represents the photographer’s own memories, a sort of log book of a journey made up of trial and error as well as successes. These shorts not only reveal the work methods of great photographers, they allow us to share the very warp and woof of their experience.

As lively as it is profound, the Contact series is meant for a broad audience. It has been broadcast several times on the Franco-German cultural television channel Arte. The 22 shorts that make up the series to date were made in collaboration with Sept-Arte, KS Visions and the French government.

Sixteen of these shorts, distributed by Actes Sud, are now available in a four-volume set of videos on sale at the CNP and bookstores: N°1: Henri Cartier-Bresson, William Klein, Josef Koudelka and Raymond Depardon. N°2: Robert Doisneau, Elliot Erwitt, Edouard Boubat and Marc Riboud. N°3: Don McCullin, Helmut Newton, Sarah Moon and Duane Michals. N°4: Sophie Calle, Thomas Ruff, Nan Goldin and Lewis Baltz.