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Paris Photo 2025 Unveils New Sally Mann Works.
The hallowed halls of the Grand Palais in Paris are set to become the epicenter of the photographic world once again with the arrival of Paris Photo 2025, an event whose very name sends a frisson of anticipation through collectors, curators, and connoisseurs alike. This year, however, the fair is generating a particularly potent buzz, cutting through the usual chatter with the electrifying announcement of a major unveiling: a suite of never-before-seen works by the legendary Sally Mann.For those who have followed Mann's career, from the controversial and intimate immediacy of 'Immediate Family' to the haunting, ethereal landscapes of the American South, this is not merely an addition to a catalogue raisonné; it is a seismic event, a new chapter from a master storyteller who uses light and chemistry as her prose. The promise of new Mann works is akin to a revered director releasing a long-lost film—it demands we recontextualize her entire oeuvre, asking new questions about memory, mortality, and the very nature of the photographic surface that she has so often scarified, stained, and sanctified.The Grand Palais, with its soaring glass nave, provides a fittingly cathedral-like space for such a revelation, a place where vintage icons from the likes of Cartier-Bresson and Arbus will engage in a silent, powerful dialogue with the contemporary visions of artists pushing the medium into the digital and conceptual future. One can already imagine the hushed, reverent crowds gathered before Mann's new pieces, likely large-format prints bearing the visceral, physical trace of her process, their textures and tonalities pulling viewers into a deeply personal, yet universally resonant, contemplation.This highlight underscores the fair's crucial role not just as a marketplace, but as a vital historical forum, a place where the legacy of photography is constantly being written and rewritten. The inclusion of Mann's new work acts as a powerful anchor, assuring that amidst the commercial frenzy, the soul of the art form—its capacity to evoke, to disturb, to preserve—remains paramount.It raises the stakes for every other gallery and artist present, challenging them to present work with a similar depth of commitment and artistic courage. For critics and scholars, this will be the story of the fair, the subject of endless analysis in the weeks to come, dissecting how these new images reflect Mann's enduring preoccupations or signal a bold new direction. For the rest of us, it is a rare and precious opportunity to witness the unfolding of a living legend, to stand before a piece of history in the making, and to be reminded of why photography, in the right hands, remains one of our most powerful and poignant forms of expression.
#Paris Photo 2025
#Sally Mann
#photography
#Grand Palais
#art fair
#vintage
#contemporary
#featured