William Wegman, Break Out, 1995.
Unique Color Polaroid. 61 x 50.8 cm / 24 x 20 in.
"Companion, research subject, symbol, mirror, or fantasy, animals have never left the photographers’ frame since the invention of the medium. Animal Model takes us on a voyage through two centuries of images that reveal how photography has shaped our view of animals and profoundly influenced the ways we love, exploit, or defend them. Bringing together works by renowned artists as well as anonymous photographs, the exhibition leads us on a thematic journey built around six perspectives: the anatomical gaze that observes and analyses; the performative gaze, capturing our fascination with animals; the emotional gaze, centered on our domestic companions; the fascinated gaze, celebrating the beauty of the animal world; the ethical gaze, exposing animal exploitation; and finally the viral gaze that subverts and spreads, blurring the lines between reality and fiction.
From Auguste Bertsch’s 19th-century microphotographs to Elliott Erwitt and Martin Parr’s images revealing human-animal complicity, from Peter Beard’s collages blending personal narrative and ecological concerns to Rinko Kawauchi’s delicate observations, from Simona Kossak’s pursuit of harmony to William Wegman’s playful compositions, the exhibition showcases the work of major photographers who have shaped our sensitivity to living beings. It also embraces the most inventive contemporary approaches, from the strange creatures of Augustin Rebetez and Robin Lopvet to the poetic visions of Vasantha Yogananthan, as well as the viral images and daring experimentations circulating on social media. Finally, it highlights the overwhelming presence of animals in the collective imagination. Together, these representations form a visual panorama of exceptional diversity, inviting us to rethink the boundaries between human and animal, gaze and image, as well as reality and its representation."
Curation: Nathalie Herschdorfer
Scientific advisor: Vincent Lavoie
Curatorial committee: Fanny Brülhart, Cécile Nédélec, Manuel Sigrist, assisted by Sarah Bourget and Emma Hennegrave
Exhibition co-produced by the Rencontres d’Arles and Photo Elysée, Lausanne.
Publication: Modèle animal. 200 ans de photographie, Textuel, 2026.
Jonathas de Andrade (1982), Ottomar Anschütz (1846–1907), Hippolyte Arnoux (1832–1894), Jane Evelyn Atwood (1947), Winnie Au (1981), François Aubert (1829–1906), Jacob Aue Sobol (1976), Richard Avedon (1923–2004), David Bailey (1938), Édouard Baldus (1813–1889), Roger Ballen (1950), Samantha Bass (1990), George Bashford (1858–1899), William Sykes Baverstock (1893–1975), Peter Beard (1938–2020), Valérie Belin (1964), Edmond Bénard (1838–1907), Auguste Bertsch (1813–1871), Richard Billingham (1970), Viktoria Binschtok (1972), Werner Bischof (1916–1954), Louis-Auguste Bisson (1814–1876), Blommers & Schumm (1969), Marta Bogdańska (1978), Ursula Böhmer (1965), Atelier Boissonnas, Xavi Bou (1979), Myriam Boulos (1992), Zana Briski (1966), Nolwenn Brod (1985), Balthasar Burkhard (1944–2010), René Burri (1933–2014), Alfred Cailliez (1834–1878), Sophie Calle (1953), Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004), Roger Catherineau (1925–1962), David Chancellor (1961), Walter Chandoha (1920–2019), Julien Chavaillaz (1985), Céline Clanet (1977), Lucien Clergue (1934–2014), Christian Coigny (1946), Walter Augustus Coldwell (1864–1929), Maisie Cousins (1992), Mario Cravo Neto (1947–2009), Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre (1787–1851), Lia Darjes (1984), Jack Davison (1990), Juan de Borbón (1822–1887), Gaston de Jongh (1888–1973), Charles Delius (1877–1962), Raymond Depardon (1942), Théodule Devéria (1831–1871), Jean Dieuzaide (1921–2003), John Divola (1949), Robert Doisneau (1912–1994), Jean-Marie Donat (1962), Louis-Jules Duboscq-Soleil (1817–1886), Louis Ducos du Hauron (1837–1920), Josef Maria Eder (1855–1944) and Eduard Valenta (1857–1937), James Elliott (1832–1900), Elliott Erwitt (1928–2023), Roger Fenton (1819–1869), Joan Fontcuberta (1955) and Pere Formiguera (1952–2013), Randal Ford (1971), William Henry Fox Talbot (1800–1877), Rosalind Fox Solomon (1930–2025), Leonard Freed (1929–2006), Masahisa Fukase (1934–2012), Flor Garduño (1957), Matthieu Gafsou (1981), Paul Géniaux (1873–1929), Weronika Gęsicka (1984), Stephen Gill (1971), Burt Glinn (1925–2008), Anne Golaz (1983), Jean‑Paul Goude (1938), Vincent Gouriou (1974), Harry Gruyaert (1941), Andreas Gursky (1955), Philippe Halsman (1906–1979), Jon Hanford (1985), Ren Hang (1987–2017), Albert Harlingue (1879–1964), Mishka Henner (1976), Laura Henno (1976), Todd Hido (1968), Hiro (1930–2021), Candida Höfer (1944), Willoughby Wallace Hooper (1837–1912), Roni Horn (1955), Kati Horna (1912–2000), Pieter Hugo (1976), Kurt Hutton (1893–1960), Jean-Baptiste Huynh (1966), Marcel Imsand (1929–2017), Izis (1911–1980), Monique Jacot (1934–2024), Leila Jeffreys (1972), Nancy Lee Katz (1947–2018), Rinko Kawauchi (1972), Alexander Keighley (1861–1947), André Kertész (1894–1985), Pouria Khojastehpay (1993), Karen Knorr (1954), Simona Kossak (1943–2007) and Lech Wilczek (1930–2018), Juul Kraijer (1970), Laurence Kubski (1986), Louis Kunz (1832–1900), Ergy Landau (1896–1967), Mårten Lange (1984), Jacques‑Henri Lartigue (1894–1986), Daesung Lee (1975), Jochen Lempert (1958), Feng Li (1971), Herbert List (1903–1975), Sheng-Wen Lo (1987), Robin Lopvet (1990), Zhiyue Liu (2001), Ella Maillart (1903–1997), Étienne-Jules Marey (1830–1904), Yamamoto Masao (1957), Ramón Masats (1931–2024), Eva and Franco Mattes (1976), Rafal Milach (1978), Désiré-François Millet (1828–1875), Yoshinori Mizutani (1987), Guido Mocafico (1962), James Mollison (1973), Sarah Moon (1941), Jean Moral (1906–1999), Inge Morath (1923–2002), Daido Moriyama (1938), Tshepiso Moropa (1995), Richard Mosse (1980), Vincent Munier (1976), Eadweard Muybridge (1830–1904), Jim Naughten (1969), Helmut Newton (1920–2004), Jean Painlevé (1902–1989), Trent Parke (1971), Martin Parr (1952–2025), Roger Parry (1905–1977), Edouard Payot (1874–1956), Géza Perneczky (1936), Regine Petersen (1976), John Phillips (1914–1996), Joanna Piotrowska (1985) & Formafantasma, Harry Pointer (1822–1889), Jo Ractliffe (1961), Augustin Rebetez (1986), Albert Renger‑Patzsch (1897–1966), Giles Revell (1965), Pierre-Ambroise Richebourg (1810–1875), Louis‑Pierre Rousseau (1811–1874), Sebastião Salgado (1944–2025), Robin Schwartz (1957), George Shiras (1859–1942), Lee Shulman (1973) – The Anonymous Project, Taryn Simon (1975), SMITH (1985), Sage Sohier (1954), Emmanuel Sougez (1889–1972), Edward Steichen (1879–1973), Christer Strömholm (1918–2002), Hiroshi Sugimoto (1948), Francesca Todde (1981), Adrien Tournachon (1825–1903), Penelope Umbrico (1957), Auguste Vacquerie (1819–1895), Ruth Van Beek (1977), Alberto Vieceli (1965), Todd Webb (1905–2000), Weegee (1899–1968), William Wegman (1943), Sabine Weiss (1924–2021), Wols (1913–1951), Wanda Wulz (1903–1984), Ylla (1911–1955), Vasantha Yogananthan (1985), Émile Zola (1840–1902).
