Bourse de Commerce to Present 'The World According to Penn' Exhibition of Irving Penn Photographs
The Facts
The Bourse de Commerce — Pinault Collection will open 'The World According to Penn,' an exhibition of nearly 450 photographs by Irving Penn (1917–2009) from the Pinault Collection, in Gallery 2 on September 16, 2026. Running until October 5, 2026, the show traces Penn’s career from the 1940s to the early 2000s, featuring portraits, fashion work, ethnographic reportages, nudes, still lives, and floral compositions. Rather than a chronological or thematic layout, the installation offers immersion in the artist’s visual world, with works arranged in free dialogue to highlight his rigorous composition, attention to materials, and stripped-down aesthetic. Curated by Matthieu Humery, photography advisor to the Pinault Collection, with Lola Regard as research director, the exhibition also includes an online app with audio content.
The Signal
Irving Penn, a key figure in 20th-century American photography, reinvented fashion and portrait photography with a sober, timeless style. The Pinault Collection’s extensive holding of his images, previously shown in the 2014–2015 solo exhibition 'Irving Penn, Resonance' at Palazzo Grassi in Venice, underscores the institution’s commitment to photography. This novel installation reveals the consistency and modernity of Penn’s oeuvre, demonstrating his legacy as a perfectionist, humanist, and eclectic artist who redefined the medium’s potential. For collectors, the exhibition affirms the enduring market and scholarly interest in Penn’s work, while the innovative hanging strategy offers fresh curatorial insights.
- Artists: Irving Penn
- People: Matthieu Humery, Lola Regard
- Museums: Bourse de Commerce — Pinault Collection
- Locations: Paris
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