The famous Agence France-Presse is diversifying, and is preparing to open a gallery dedicated to photography, from September 12, 2024, with an inaugural exhibition devoted to the Liberation of Paris, to mark the 80th anniversary. Housed in the agency’s offices in the 2nd arrondissement, the gallery will present three free exhibitions a year, offering the general public access to its exceptional archive holdings, some of which will be offered for sale.
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“Paris 1944, une semaine en août” showcases the agency’s period photographs and amateur images of Parisians during the liberation of the capital, from the Fournier-Eymard collection. These photos are full of emotion and history, allowing us to“archive the reality” of a liberating, joyous and well-documented period. The professional shots are very different from those taken by local residents, often blurred and unframed, which bear witness to the moment and represent its beauty.
As for the professional photographers, war correspondents or agency photographers, many of them worked at the time with the former Havas agency, under German control in 1940, taken over in 1944 and renamed Agence Française de Presse. It was after the Liberation that Henri Membré set up AFP’s photographic department, which is still particularly renowned today.
