Exhibition curators Loïc Chauvin and Christian Raby have selected 60 prints demonstrating the rich Albanese photographic heritage, unique to the Balkan region. Covering the years 1848-1945 this retrospective of Albanese photography is the result of several years of research. Through portraits of heros and anonymous figures, landscapes and daily life, the pictures reflect the political situations of the time. Beginning with the arrival of Pietro Marubi, an Italian refugee who opened his first photo studio in Shkodra in 1858, three generations of Marubis would tell this nation’s story through 120,000 negatives. A golden age followed by a deafening silence. Today, Albania is trying to rediscover its national identity through its patrimony, or its memory, or both.

Bernard Perrine
Bernard.Perrine1@orange.fr

The Golden Age of Albanese Photography
The Marubi Dynasty and Rhapsodies of Light, 1858-1945

October 5, 2011 – January 8, 2012
MEP
5/7 rue de Fourcy
75004 Paris
+ 33 (0)1 44 78 75 00
Wednesday through Sunday

Édition
Albanie, un voyage photographique, 1858-1945

Éditions Écrits de lumière
Texts by Loïc Chauvin et Christian Raby
128 pages 16 x 19 cm
94 photos en bichromie
Available in French, Albanese, and English