Peter Lippmann, Citroën traction 7, 2012 from the series Paradise parking

It was great fun as usual at Fondation Cartier for the opening of « Auto Photo, from 1900 to today » a show of 450 pictures by American, British, German, Swiss, Japanese, Mexican, Chinese, African and French photographers who, one way or another, were attracted by cars. Small and large formats, color and black and white, esthetical or social themes make for a very varied exhibition curated by Xavier Barral and Philipe Séclier, two adventurers who love photo.

Martin Parr, Series from A to B, “Tales of Modern Motoring”, “If you want to drive from A to B and feel perfectly safe with no-one looking at you , don’t drive an MX5”

More than being a series of portraits of automobiles, this exhibition tries to analyse the changes made by cars around the world in the 20 th century : new bridges, parkings, mortorways are being built sometimes with great talent, and it studies the love that peope of all generations and nationalities have for cars. Also of course the evolution of automobiles.

Chinese vintage picture shot in a studio, anonymous, 1950 collected by Thomas Sauvin

From Martin Parr, always the most colourful, to Jacques Henri Lartigue, from Andreas Gursky to Pierre de Fenoÿl, Yasuhiro Ishimoto, Brassaï, Raymond Depardon and Elliott Erwitt, Chinese and African vintage prints, the mosaic of pictures is a feast. And again, bring your children, they will discover how much fun “modern” life can be around cars.

Luciano Rigolini, Tribute to Giorgio de Chirico, 2017

There is nothing in common between Mexican photographer Alejandro Cartagena who photographs pick up trucks filled with people and things from above, and Johnny Pigozzi’s paparazzi shots of Jack Nicholson and Keith Richards inside their limos, but the energy deployed by all these prints is quite gripping and the pace of the show makes complete sense.

Sory Sanlé, “Deux chevaux ” bricolée, 1970-80

It is hanging on the two levels of the Jean Nouvel building of boulevard Raspail and you will laugh troughout the show. My favourite picture is one of the last, downstairs : Peter Lippmann’s « Citroën traction 7 » from his series Paradise parking. It is hidden under lierre in a forest and seems to have grown roots. The photographer was there commenting his pictures like Hans Christian Schlink.

Andreas Gursky, Cairo, Diptych, 1992

Many artists were attending the preview and German and English were being spoken all around. A nice change for Paris… (Until September 24 at Fondation Cartier and don’t miss the “Soirées Nomades” at the Foundation, in May, June and July)

Ed Ruscha, series Thirty four Parking Lots