Marseille vue par les Detaille - 164 ans de photos

Visit the Musée d'Histoire de Marseille for the exhibition: “Marseille Seen by the Detaille Family. 164 Years of Photography.” The Musée d’Histoire de Marseille is devoting a major exhibition to the Detaille dynasty of photographers—three generations who, from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day, captured the evolution of the Phocean city and its inhabitants. Heirs to Nadar, Fernand, Albert and Gérard Detaille built an exceptional body of work bearing witness to life in Marseille, its heritage and its transformations. A unique journey through the visual history of Marseille. In February 2021, the City of Marseille acquired a heritage treasure: the Detaille photographic collection. Comprising several tens of thousands of images, it traces more than a century of the city’s history, from the earliest photographic experiments to contemporary practices. Through this unprecedented exhibition, the Musée d’Histoire de Marseille invites the public to discover Marseille in a new light, through the sensitive and exacting gaze of three generations of photographers. ► Three generations of photographers: It all began in 1897, when the celebrated Nadar established his last studio at 77 La Canebière. When he left in 1903, his first assistant, Fernand Detaille, a young photographer from Amiens, took over the studio. He quickly became an essential figure, combining portraits of prominent people, scenes of everyday life and daring reportage, eventually becoming a pioneer of humanist photography and photojournalism. His son Albert succeeded him in 1940, bringing a poetic and artistic dimension to photography. Trained at the École des Beaux-Arts, he enhanced landscapes, faces and monuments, creating portraits of illustrious figures such as Joséphine Baker, Marcel Pagnol and General de Gaulle. Finally, Gérard, the third generation, modernized the family business, developed panoramic and aerial photography, and worked to preserve and promote this exceptional heritage. The exhibition “MARSEILLE Seen by the DETAILLE Family - 164 Years of Photography” offers a journey through the city and its history: the Old Port, La Canebière, the markets, urban transformations, major events and the faces of Marseille. Rare and moving images reveal the vitality of a constantly changing city, between popular traditions and modernity. This retrospective also highlights the central role of the Canebière studio, a true center of photographic creation and innovation, and reveals the Detaille family’s publishing ambitions: they authored thirty-seven art books that helped promote Marseille and Provence in France and internationally. With this exhibition, the Musée d’Histoire de Marseille offers the public a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a century and a half of visual history, at the intersection of art, memory and family transmission. This exhibition has been awarded the Photography Bicentenary label by the Ministry of Culture. ► To ensure that you can enjoy a complete visit to all our exhibition rooms, we invite you to contact the Museum before your visit. ► To promote access to culture for everyone, the City of Marseille offers free admission to temporary exhibitions on their opening day and on the first Sunday of every month. ► All visits and activities related to the exhibition are available at musees.marseille.fr