Work exhibited in 'A “history” of photography: Agnès b.’s Collection,' Galerie du Jour Agnès B, Paris

Billingham's work from the collection of Agnes B was exhibited in 'A “history” of photography: Agnès b.’s Collection,' Galerie du Jour Agnès B, Paris, (8th December 2023 - 7th April 2024).

A central idea to the exhibition was that the viewer be taken on a chronological tour of a history of photography, starting with a twelve silver gelatino-bromide negative chronophotographic plates, albumin prints, negative papers, sepia photographs and silver countertype prints dating from the second half of the 19th century to later black and white prints and onto the switch to color photography (1980s - 1990s).

The agnès b. collection comprises over seven thousand paintings, sculptures, installations, videos and 2,500 photographic works.

Agnès b's collection of contemporary art was first presented at the Abattoirs de Toulouse in 2004. Prior to this, the photographic collection comprised two exhibitions - one at the Centre National de la Photographie, Paris (2000) at the Pavillon des Arts in Nogent-sur-Marne (2002).

In 2000, Agnès B wrote about photography: "What counts is the “snapshot”, the photographer, in a gesture that’s surely spiritual, chooses the moment in his life, in life, that jumps out at him, what he chooses to say ….. In the same gesture, he can also create fictions, deceiving us for the fun of it, telling us stories that are not true, serious or light-hearted. What a freedom! And that’s why I love photography “

Besides Billingham, other artists included André Kertész; August Sander; Beat Streuli; Brassaï; Duane Michals; Eugène Atget; Helen Levitt; Henri Cartier-Bresson; Jacques-Henri Lartigue
Jonas Mekas; Man Ray; Mark Cohen; Massimo Vitali; Nan Goldin; Ralph Gibson; Ryan McGinley; Saul Leiter; Seydou Keïta; Sigmar Polke; Walker Evans; Weegee; William Eggleston and Willy Ronis.

There was a fully illustrated catalogue.