PARIS.- From November 13 to 16, 2008, Paris Photo, the world’s leading fair for 19th century, modern and contemporary photography, will bring together 107 exhibitors (86 galleries + 21 publishers) from 19 countries at the Carrousel du Louvre.

A deeply renewed selection
The 2008 selection will bring a profound change with a record number of first-time exhibitors (38%, or 31 new arrivals) and one of the highest rates of foreign participation (78% of exhibitors are non-French.)

The largest contingent of exhibitors comes from the USA with 18 galleries, followed by France (17), Japan (14), Germany, Spain and the UK (7 each), Holland (3), Italy (3) and one representative for each of the following countries: Austria, Belgium, China, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, South-Africa, South-Korea. Australia and India will be making their first appearance at the fair (1 gallery each).

While Asia will gain unprecedented exposure this year, the 2008 selection will also favour focussed exhibition projects: one-man shows for several major contemporary artists (Boris Mikhailov at Guido Costa, Martin Parr at Janet Borden, Dayanita Singh at Nature Morte, Alec Soth at Weinstein…) and thematic, museum-like hangings (“19th Century Sculpture Photographs” at Daniel Blau, « 40 British Calotypes » chez Robert Hershkowitz”, “The School of Chicago” at Stephen Daiter, “Theater and life” at Michael Stevenson…).

The 2008 fair will showcase the works of some 500 international photographers and artists from all continents, offering the expected 40,000 visitors a panoramic view of fine art photography from its early days until now.

Spotlight on Japan : an exceptional overview of Japanese photography
For the first time, Paris Photo is looking towards the Far East and inviting Japan as its guest of honour. This coincides with growing international interest in Japanese photography. Photography has been one of the most intense and major areas of Japanese culture since it was first introduced in the country in 1848, towards the end of the Edo Period.

With work by more than 130 artists, Paris Photo will offer an exceptional overview of a unique vision, from the Meiji era to 1930’s avant-garde movements and the post-war years through to the most contemporary production. To date, no exhibition in Europe has brought together such a large number of Japanese photographers.

About thirty galleries in the General Sector will feature Japan’s great classic masters (Shoji Ueda, Ihei Kimura, Masahisa Fukase, Eikoh Hosoe, Shomei Tomastu) and contemporary artists (Hiroshi Sugimoto, Nobuyoshi Araki, Daido Moriyama, Naoya Hatakeyama).

The Statement Section, comprising eight invited Japanese galleries, and the Project Room dedicated to video art will present the exciting work of a young generation of artists mainly born in the mid-sixties and the seventies. A publishers’ space will highlight the central role of photobooks on the Japanese photography scene.

Paris Photo invited the independent curator and photography critic Mariko Takeuchi to curate “Spotlight on Japan”.

5th edition of the BMW- Paris Photo Prize
Launched in 2003 to support contemporary photography, the BMW–Paris Photo Prize has become in less than five years an important landmark in the world of international photography.

A panel of prestigious international experts will select the winner of this 12,000 euros prize from among the living artists represented by Paris Photo 2008 participating galleries.

The theme for 2008 is “Never Stand Still”. The short-listed works will be on view during Paris Photo and the award ceremony itself will take place on Thursday, November 13, 2008.

The 2008 Jury : Marta Gili (director of Jeu de Paume), Vicki Goldberg (writer and lecturer), Stephen Shore (artist), Nicolas Wertans (CEO of BMW France), Eric de Riedmatten (director of communication, BMW France) , Anne Wilkes Tucker (curator, photography department, Houston Museum of Fine Arts), Michael Wilson (collector).

What’s happening in Paris during Paris Photo:
The 12th Paris Photo edition coincides with the biennial “Mois de la Photo” – a month-long photographic event throughout Paris. Its theme this year is “European Photography: between tradition and mutation”. In the framework of the “Close-Up” VIP program, VIPs and collectors will have privileged access to photography events in Paris such as the “Lee Miller” exhibition at Jeu de Paume, “The School of Dusseldorf” at the MAM Ville de Paris, “Tokyo Stories” at Artcurial, “Sabine Weiss” at Maison Européenne de la Photographie and “Walker Evans” at the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation.