200 years of photography

The show brings together selected works, supplemented by historical camera technology from the Lentos and Nordico collections: from the first photographic methods in the 19th century to darkroom experiments of classical modernism and contemporary works that make use of new digital processes.

In 1826, the French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce succeeded in permanently capturing the view from his study on a coated tin plate. Today, this event is regarded as one of the births of photography. Since then, the medium has not only changed the way we look at the world, but has also had a lasting impact on the way artists produce images and work.

To mark this milestone anniversary, the exhibition focuses on the technical processes and material characteristics of the medium. The central question is what characterizes photography, beyond its documentary dimension, as a means of artistic expression.