“I’m Still Standing” is the song Madeleine de Sinéty could have sung upon learning she would be sharing the galleries of the Musée du Jeu de Paume with a star like Elton John. It is no easy task to stand alongside a world-class collection built with thousands upon thousands of dollars, pounds, and euros. Yet she stands on her own merits, despite a story that is all too familiar for many women photographers. Relatively unknown and largely overlooked until now, she produced, as an example, more than 50,000 photographs over a ten-year period, recording everyday life in the small Breton village of Poilley. Rather than observing from a distance, de Sinéty immersed herself in the community. Her photographs are not nostalgic or sentimental. They are intimate without being intrusive. She captures work, family life, celebrations, and ordinary moments with empathy and patience. She photographed in both black and white and colour people as they lived, allowing trust and time to shape her images. Madeleine de Sinéty lived many lives, from Paris to New York, from Poilley to Maine, and her work reflects that rich journey. The exhibition presents an incredible selection of black-and-white and colour photographs, finally giving her the recognition she deserves, celebrating a very special Life.
