Une Histoire d'images (2)

by Josée Bernard (level B2)

Rosana Sam’s group of English students visited the Grenoble museum on January 11 in order to see the photographic exhibition Une histoire d’images. 

The exhibition features 270 photos assembled and donated by the art-collector Antoine de Galbert.

The world from the end of the second world war till today is described by 95 more or less well-known photographers in various ways; photojournalism as well as staged photos all telling their own fascinating story. 

It’s difficult during a visit to see everything, to understand everything…

We had a young guide in English who selected and explained several photos per room (perhaps too many?) but the explanations on the walls could complete.

The collection is very diverse, we encounter irony and humor as well as horror and sadness.

All these photos speak on contemporary History, at the level of the “greats of this World” or at the level of “the little people”:

We all admired the magnificent portrait of Massoud, and we were moved by those of the young volunteer fighters in Donbass.

I wondered at the impassivity of the North Korean filling his cart at the supermarket.

I had the impression of being physically present in Gdansk, during these public confessions.

I trembled between the two shots of the demonstrations during the release of Nelson Mandela, on one side the white crowd with swastika flags, on the other the jubilant black crowd.

Despite everything, I smiled at the photos titled “la fin du Monde nous aura quand même donné de beaux couchers de soleil”

Lots of humanity and a lot of humans in this exhibition even if the final results are rather pessimistic.