CENTRO DELLA FOTOGRAFIA
Inaugurated at the former Mattatoio complex
Rome 29 January 2026 – Opens to the public on the symbolic occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Rome–Paris twinning. Conceived as a permanent public institution, the Center marks Rome’s entry into a structured dialogue with leading European models for photography and stands at the heart of a broader urban and cultural regeneration project.
Irving Penn plays a central role within the inaugural programme. Photographs 1939–2007, on view from 30 January to 29 June 2026. The exhibition presents 109 prints selected from the collection of the Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP) in Paris, spanning nearly seven decades of Penn’s career. Built through a long-standing collaboration with the artist and, more recently, with the Irving Penn Foundation, the collection reflects the depth and coherence of his artistic legacy.
Curated by Pascal Hoël, Frédérique Dolivet and Alessandra Mauro, the exhibition offers a focused overview of Penn’s work, highlighting his formal rigour, essential elegance and exceptional mastery of photographic printing. A leading figure of twentieth-century photography and a historic contributor to Vogue, Penn transformed the languages of fashion, portrait and still life, creating images that combine apparent simplicity with extraordinary expressive intensity.
Organised into six thematic sections—from early street photography and post-war Europe to studio portraits, nudes, fashion and still lifes—the exhibition also underscores Penn’s experimental approach to printing, including platinum and palladium processes, and his constant drive to elevate both iconic subjects and everyday objects into timeless photographic forms.
The exhibition programme is completed by C’è un tempo e un luogo by Silvia Camporesi, exploring time, memory and landscape through a contemporary photographic language, and by Corpi reali, corpi immaginati, presented in the Campo Visivo space dedicated to experimental and interdisciplinary practices. Together, the inaugural exhibitions define the Centro della Fotografia di Roma as a space for research, international exchange and experimentation, positioning photography as a vital language for understanding both its history and the present.
