The Nadars - A photographic legend

The Bibliothèque nationale de France proposes the first big exhibition dedicated to the three Nadars. Félix Nadar (1820-1910), his brother Adrien Tournachon (1825-1903) and his son Paul Nadar (1856-1939) were both photographers, painters, artists and inventors… Some 300 pieces reveal the specificities of each of the three photographers, of their collaborations and rivalries; the exhibition embraces the entire history of the Nadars’ studios over nearly a century. Presenting original photographic prints, drawings, engravings, paintings and objects, the exhibition invites to discover the legacy of one of the major and lasting studios of the early times of photography. The thematically organized exhibition is divided into three parts illustrating the characteristics of the Nadars’ adventure: ‘The Nadars’ by the Nadars’, ‘Art and Portrait Industry’, ‘Art and Science’. This last section of the exhibition shows how the Nadars were in tune with the current affairs of their time and how their photographic work was often connected with scientific and technical discoveries.