PARIS.- Held at the Carrousel du Louvre from 18th to 21st November 2010, Paris Photo, the world’s leading fair for 19th Century, modern and contemporary photography will bring together 103 exhibitors including 90 galleries and 13 publishers. With 78% of foreign participation, 25 represented countries, 31 new comers, the 14th edition is rich in discoveries. This year’s edition marks the return of US galleries and a stronger showing of contemporary art galleries with Beaumontpublic (Luxemburg), Ernst Hilger (Vienne), I8 (Reykjavik), Anne de Villepoix (Paris), Hervé Loevenbruck (Paris) or Yossi Milo (New York).

The vintage photography section will be enhanced by the participation of Stephen Bulger (Toronto), Sage Paris, Stephen Daiter (Chicago) and Barry Friedman (New York).

Spotlight on Central Europe: Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic
Photography is one of Central Europe's richest forms of artistic expression. From the very beginning of the 20th century, Bratislava, Budapest, Prague, Ljubljana and Warsaw were home to an intellectual avant-garde promoting a new vision of photography. Many artists from these cities revolutionized the history of photography, from André Kertész and Mohology-Nagy to František Drtikol, Josef Sudek, Brassaï and Robert Capa.

Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the countries of the former Eastern Bloc have undergone a political, social and cultural revival. Photography remains the preferred language through which Central European artists express a new political and social reality, borrowing from diverse practices ranging from the visual and performing arts to documentary and subjective forms.

With work by more than 90 Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Slovakian and Slovenian artists, Paris Photo will offer an exceptional overview of the Central European scene, from the 1920’s avant-garde movements and the post-war years through to the most contemporary production.

The Spotlight on Central Europe is curated by Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez, art critic and independent curator.

The BMW – Paris Photo Prize : 7th edition
The BMW-Paris Photo prize is designed to support contemporary creativity and is awarded once a year to an artist/photographer for his or her work on a theme related to BMW France’s advertising campaign. For its seventh edition, the prize, reserved for artists represented by galleries participating in Paris Photo, will reveal the best in contemporary photography with work on the theme “Electric Vision”. The winner will be chosen from among the short-listed artists whose work will be on display during Paris Photo. The €12,000 prize will be awarded during a ceremony on Wednesday 17th November 2010.

SFR Young Talents - Paris Photo Competition
The SFR Young Talents Competition offers the opportunity to 5 young emerging photographers, selected by a jury of professionals, to show their work at Paris Photo. The theme for this fourth year is “Movement.” The call for submissions will come at the end of June. More information on www.sfrjeunestalents.fr.

Paris, the world’s capital of photography in November
The 14th edition of Paris Photo coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Mois de la Photo - a month-long event which turns Paris into the world’s capital of photography in November.