Since opening in 1996, the MEP remains the primary French institution dedicated to photography in all its forms. Our exhibition programme includes both internationally recognised and emerging photographers and film-makers, highlighting the diversity of artistic approaches to contemporary lens-based practices. Including a world-class collection of photographic prints and artists films from the post-war period, and one of the largest specialised research libraries in Europe, the MEP is without equal in Paris.
Every year the MEP welcomes a large audience, both domestic and international, of all ages and all levels of expertise. Our visitors not only experience our exhibitions, but attend events and screenings in the auditorium, take part in educational activities in our Ateliers, browse the wide choice of photobooks in our shop, and enjoy the courtyard café.
Conceived as a real home for photography that is open to all, the MEP represents a vision of the medium that reflects our times, in which photography has a central place in a rich and complex network of complementary practices: from fine art and film, to fashion, music, literature and performance. The MEP is concerned to show how and why photography is relevant today, not only in terms of the diversity of types of practice, but also in terms of representing, in the fullest sense, those practising photography today, whether in terms of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, geography or political engagement.
Firmly grounded in the past but, facing the future, the MEP is a historic space for photography in Paris with an ambitious and innovative approach. We are committed to showing the ways in which photography has evolved, and continues to evolve, in the very best of contemporary practices, and to show how and why it is a medium that fascinates as never before.
History of the MEP
Founded in 1978 by Jean-Luc Monterosso, Henry Chapier, Marcel Landowski, and Francis Balagna, the association “Paris Audiovisuel”—the original name of the MEP—was created to promote the works of French and international artists during the biennial Mois de la Photo festival, established for this purpose. In line with this mission, the association built an outstanding photography collection and became one of the most important specialized libraries in Europe.
In 1985, the City of Paris relocated the association to the Espace Photo, near what is now the Forum des Images. The first exhibitions were presented there under the direction of Jean-Luc Monterosso. By the 1990s, the Espace Photo had become too small for the association’s ambitions, leading to a move in 1996 to the former Hénault de Cantobre mansion in the Saint-Paul district. The restoration of the building and the construction of a modern extension were entrusted to architect Yves Lion.
With this relocation, the Espace Photo was renamed the Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP) and further expanded its mission. Jean-Luc Monterosso took the bold step of bringing together exhibition spaces, a library, and an auditorium under one roof, making the MEP the temple of photography in Paris. Henry Chapier served as its president until December 2017, when Jean-François Dubos took over the role.
In January 2018, Simon Baker succeeded Jean-Luc Monterosso as the director of the MEP. Marking a new chapter in the institution’s programming, Baker continued its original mission while further opening the space to international creativity, a greater diversity of artists and practices, and a broader audience.