Rencontres d'Arles: American Perspectives and Big Names in Photography

Arles – 17 July 2026: the 57th Rencontres d’Arles place photography at the heart of memory, social observation and artistic research until 4 October. This year’s programme is entitled “Rereading the Worlds” and brings together exhibitions dedicated to African and Mediterranean spaces, archives and new photographic approaches. Prominent voices in American photography also receive special attention.

Among the major solo exhibitions is that of Ming Smith. The American photographer is being honoured in Arles as a major representative of photography in the United States. Her images, created over decades, combine personal experiences, urban scenes and experimental visual language. The exhibition also highlights Smith’s enduring relationship with Europe, whose museums, cities and photographic traditions have helped shape her work.

Lisa Oppenheim offers another approach to the history of photography. The artist works at the intersection of photography, textiles and floral compositions. In Arles, she focuses on Edward Steichen, an American photographer and exhibition curator of Luxembourgish origin. Oppenheim approaches this influential figure of the 20th century not in the form of a classic retrospective, but through a subjective and abstract artistic interpretation.

The exhibition “Animal Model – 200 Years of Photography” also links historical developments with contemporary questions. It examines how animals have been photographed, classified and represented since the early years of the medium, for scientific, aesthetic or social purposes. The festival thus expands its perspective beyond portraiture, reportage and art photography, questioning the relationship between image, humans and living beings.

In its 2026 edition, the Rencontres d’Arles rely on a broad range of documentary archives, major solo exhibitions and works by younger artists. Themes such as identity, history, representation and the relationship with the environment run through the various projects. The festival once again occupies numerous exhibition venues in Arles and the surrounding region, allowing photography to be discovered in a variety of architectural and cultural contexts.

The current edition began on 6 July and continues beyond the summer opening phase until Sunday, 4 October 2026. In addition to the exhibitions, the programme includes meetings, educational activities and professional events. Arles thus offers visitors not only an insight into the major names in the history of photography, but also into new forms through which photography explores the present and the past.