Join us to discover how French photographers from the 19th and early 20th centuries used the camera to celebrate and preserve Paris’s cultural and architectural heritage. Drawing upon works from our collection, the lecture traces photography’s role in documenting the city’s transformation. Take a closer look at photographs that capture its striking monuments and the ruins of the Paris Commune. Learn more about Eugène Atget’s portrait of the city on the brink of the modern era and the poetic street photography of the 20th century.

About the curator

Sally Martin Katz is associate curator of photography at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, overseeing the photography collection at the Museums’ Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts. Her career includes curatorial positions at SFMOMA, the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, and the Louvre in Paris. She also has curated exhibitions at the Fundación MAPFRE in Madrid and Barcelona and the Southampton Arts Center in New York. Sally holds a PhD in art history (history of photography) from Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, where she also earned an MA and MFA in photography, and a BA in art history and French literature from Brown University.

About the “A Closer Look” series

This program is part of our “A Closer Look” series, a curatorial lecture series exploring the development of our collections and their art historical significance. The series features in-depth presentations that highlight collection gems while demystifying creative practices that span thousands of years.

Contact info

Public Programs
publicprograms@famsf.org
415.750.3555

Please note that this lecture will be recorded. It will be available to watch on this page after the event.