The Fnac Collection
A voyage through a century of photography
Verona, Scavi Scaligeri
7^th  May - 2^nd October 2005

This exhibition can be interpreted on two levels: it offers a subjective view of crucial moments in the 20th century and at the same time, it shows the evolution of themes and language in photography, which each time is able to show the real and the unreal, the visible and the imperceptible.  This is all developed along a journey spanning from reports to landscapes, from portraits to research and on to fashion; a journey through different periods and places and with different approaches, where the fine thread linking such diverse works together is the poetry of the images themselves. 

The principle at the basis of the FNAC Collection – preserving the memory of exhibitions presented over the years and helping photographers through a systematic purchasing policy – has meant a high degree of independence compared to trends and criteria in the art market.  This is why, alongside well-known photographers, we find young artists to whom the FNAC has given a great deal of space, in particular with its Attention Talent Photo Prize and, since 2003, the FNAC European Photography Prize. 

This Collection, with its openness to international creativity, also includes works from Africa, the Middle Eastern and Cuba; until recently, the wealth of creative potential from these countries was ignored.  Anonymous research and works add interesting documentary records to the Collection, especially from a sociological viewpoint. 

Lastly, images by artists from other creative worlds, such as Allen Ginsberg, Yul Brynner, Wim Wenders, Jean Baudrillard and Pedro Almodóvar have enriched this Collection with their original gazes that express the dialogue existing between photography and other artistic disciplines. 

The comparison of all these so very different experiences, views and sensitivity is what makes this unique Collection so truly original. 

Laura Serani 
Exhibition Curator
and Director of the FNAC French and International Photograph Galleries 

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Last update: 04/28/05