Bertille Bak, La Brigada, 12 mn video of shoe shiners demonstrating on the streets of la Paz

Due to the Olympics, which will bar access to place de la Concorde and part of the Tuileries gardens all summer, the Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume has to close down on May 12. So if you have not been yet, make sure to see the fabulous Tina Modotti exhibition and Bertille Bak (b.1983) “Out of Breath” who plays on the representation of marginalized “invisible” communities with her films and photographs set in Bolivia, Saint Nazaire, India, Thailand and Madagascar for “Minor Miner” and Morocco for “Entertainment Factory”. I particularly liked “La Brigada”, her shelves covered with colorful shoe-shine boxes from La Paz, which become true works of art as they are transformed by their owners, and the video where the shoe shiners walk on metallic noisy buckets to demonstrate on the streets.

Bertille Bak, “La Brigada”, 2018-2024, shoe shine boxes and video

On 28-29 September the museum will reopen and celebrate its 20 years as an independant Association started by minister of culture Jean Jacques Aillagon in 2004. It comprises the Centre National de la photographie, the Patrimoine photographique and the Jeu de Paume which has a long history as a museum of art since 1909. It hosted contemporary art as an annex of Musée du Luxembourg from 1922 to 1939 and was the theatre of Rose Valland‘s heroic resistance during the war when she saved and listed all the works stolen by the Nazis. The terrace of the Jeu de Paume was recently named after her. Since the war, it showed the Impressionist collections of the Louvre until Musée d’Orsay was inaugurated. It is now run by Quentin Bajac who used to work at MoMA in the photography department.

Alice Martin co-director with director Quentin Bajac

So next September 28-29, there will be a large “boum” (party) for children 8-12 years old, and an opening week end free for all. And mostly, the organization of what looks like a wonderful exhibition of Tina Barney‘s photographs, curated by Quentin Bajac. Virtually unknown in Europe because she never had a gallery here, the American photographer born in 1945, will show 40 years of her work through 55 pictures shot in (Newport?) Rhode Island and in New York, which are more fun one than the other.

Tina Barney, Mr and Mrs Castelli, 1998

A large exhibition on Belgian cinematographer Chantal Akerman “Traveling”, will take place on the first floor. It comes from Bozar Brussels, where it is right now. The great news is that the auditorium will now regularly show “Art et Essai”movies from the past, starting on November 12. There will be 400 screenings a year of early films by famous directors or short films, from Tuesday to Sunday at 11.15 am, 3 pm and 6.30 pm. Children will have their own screenings on Wednesdays and on the week ends. This new adventure is sponsored by Fondation Louis Roederer.

Tina Barney, “The daughters”, 2002,

In December 2025, the forgotten Madeleine de Sinéty will have a show of her photographs from Maine and California from the 1980’s (she married an American in 1978) and those from her book, “Un Village” on Poilley, a little village, population 367, in Brittany. Her last show took place in Portland, Oregon in 2011 just before her death.

Madeleine de Sinéty, “Monsieur Langlois, October 1974” will be shown on December 2025

A rich choice of International photography will be completed by many video artists and the Festival du Jeu de Paume in February-March 2025.  Also in 2025, “The World according to A.I.” (Artificial intelligence) will take place in all spaces of the museum trying to answer all the questions about artists in photography. And in the meantime, the museum is becoming greener and more sustainable. After months of closing down, we look forward to such an exciting season!!!