I pushed open the doors of the Roger-Viollet Gallery without really knowing what to expect. The gallery has recently set out to become more visible to the public, drawing on its vast photographic archive to propose small-scale exhibitions on its walls, surrounded by its famous boxes of treasures, meticulously classified by theme and subject.
This time, the exhibition was about… Paris. On display were fascinating high-quality late-19th-century and early 20th-century photographs and collages by photographers less familiar to me, such as Maurice-Louis Branger, Charles Marville, and Jacques Boyer. Although the name Neurdein (the brothers) was new to me, their iconic photograph of the locomotive hanging out of the façade of Gare Montparnasse is instantly recognizable, and here, a beautiful new print was available for purchase.
There were also intriguing collages by 13 Bis (Treize Bis). I’m not sure how they connect to the gallery, though I suspect he may have used Roger-Viollet material to create them. Perhaps I’ll pay closer attention on my next visit.
