The Pavillon Populaire, Montpellier's photographic art space open to the public free of charge, is one of the leading venues for contemporary photography, welcoming 100,000 visitors a year. Since 2011, with three major exhibitions a year, many of which have been landmark events both locally and nationally, the Pavillon Populaire has gained an undeniable and widespread reputation. Noted for the originality and variety of their subjects, always new and designed specifically for the venue with the help of internationally renowned curators, its exhibitions have enabled visitors to discover the different forms of photographic art, its styles and uses: 20th and 21st century art photography, of course, with the great French and American humanist photographers and conceptual artists from the 1960s to the present day, but also reportage, press and fashion photography, advertising and propaganda photography, documentary photography with a scientific or memorial focus, and more.

Nothing less than the works of Brassaï, Bernard Plossu, Patrick Tosani, Jakob Tuggener, William Eugene Smith, Aaron Siskind, Denis Roche, Ralph Gibson, Raymond Depardon and Edward Burtynsky have been shown in recent years. Far from being forgotten, women represent a good half of the guest curators and, above all, of the artists presented, including Hélène Hoppenot, Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Linda McCartney, and, for the more contemporary artists, Valie Export, Lynne Cohen and Elina Brotherus.

The relevance and originality of the subjects presented, the quality of the prints and the care taken in their display have enabled the Pavillon Populaire to gain international recognition in the world of photographic art and in the media, both general and specialised, and to win over and retain an ever-growing audience. Each exhibition is accompanied by an extensive outreach programme and a high-quality publication distributed by French and foreign bookshops, particularly those in museums and art centres.

Every year in May, the Pavillon Populaire hosts the Les Boutographies festival, organised by the Grain d'Image association.

‍

‍