Ritz Paris: a free exhibition by 18 young photographers for Paris Photo 2026

Alongside Paris Photo, photography takes over the spaces of the Ritz Paris. The palace is hosting an exhibition created with GOBELINS Paris, in the Place Vendôme district.

For the occasion, the hotel partners with GOBELINS Paris and grants carte blanche to 18 students from the Photo-V-Video department. Their brief: to photograph the Ritz itself. Architecture, interiors, atmosphere, behind the scenes, teams in action—each student could explore the venue in their own way, far from the usual glossy postcard image.

This immersion gives rise to 18 original, unprecedented works, offering as many viewpoints on this emblem of Parisian hospitality. Some look at the backstage professions, others at the details of the heritage or the codes of luxury. Several also choose to question what this world represents today for a generation raised on social media and instantaneous imagery.

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Le Ritz is no stranger to the camera. For more than a century, the hotel has cultivated close ties with artists and photographers. Man Ray, Brassaï, Robert Doisneau, Richard Avedon, Elliott Erwitt, Roxane Lowit, and Annie Leibovitz are among the big names associated with its visual world. As early as 1922, Man Ray photographed several portraits there, including that of the Marchesa Casati, often cited as a landmark image from his early surrealist period.

Presented in the peristyle of the Ritz Paris, this exhibition brings together student photography and the history of a Parisian palace. Also check out our selection of free exhibitions to see in Paris this month.

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