Gustave Le Gray, Painter and Photographer at the Musée d'Orsay

Le Gray was one of the great pioneers of photography, and the Musée d'Orsay devotes a major exhibition to him: Gustave Le Gray, peintre photographe (painter and photographer). Curated by Thomas Galifot, the museum's chief curator for photography, the exhibition runs from 10 November 2026 to 7 February 2027. Some recently acquired works are shown to the public for the first time.

The show is part of France's Photography Bicentenary programme, which celebrates two hundred years of the medium.

About Gustave Le Gray

Gustave Le Gray (1820–1884) trained as a painter before turning to photography in the 1840s. He became one of the most inventive photographers of the nineteenth century, developing technical processes such as the waxed paper negative and teaching many of the photographers of his generation. He is especially famous for his seascapes of the 1850s, in which he combined separate negatives for sea and sky to capture both in one image, and for his photographs of the forest of Fontainebleau and of architecture.

About the Exhibition

As its title suggests, the exhibition looks at Le Gray as both painter and photographer, and at how his training in painting shaped his approach to light, composition and atmosphere. It places recently acquired works in the context in which they were created, alongside better-known images.

Exhibition Dates

10 November 2026 — Exhibition opens 7 February 2027 — Exhibition closes

Why Visit?

Le Gray's seascapes remain some of the most beautiful photographs ever made, and they still teach lessons about exposure, tone and composition. For photographers working with landscape, long exposure or alternative processes, seeing original nineteenth-century prints, with their warm tones and fine detail, is very different from seeing reproductions online.

Who Should Visit?

• Landscape and seascape photographers
• Photographers working with analogue and alternative processes
• Painters interested in the dialogue between painting and photography
• Students of the history of photography

Tickets

Check the Musée d'Orsay website for tickets and conditions. Booking a timed slot online is usually the quickest way to enter.

Planning Your Visit

The Musée d'Orsay is on the Left Bank of the Seine, opposite the Tuileries. Combine the exhibition with the museum's permanent photography collection and its Impressionist galleries, and with Louvre Photo across the river, another highlight of the Photography Bicentenary.

The Seascapes

Le Gray's seascapes, made on the coasts of Normandy and the Mediterranean in the 1850s, caused a sensation when they were first shown. The photographic materials of the time could not record a bright sky and a darker sea correctly in one exposure, so he often printed them from two negatives. The results, with dramatic clouds over sparkling water, look strikingly modern and were collected by enthusiasts across Europe. They remain among the most admired photographs of the nineteenth century.

Le Gray as a Teacher

Le Gray ran a studio in Paris where he taught photography to many of the important photographers of his generation, and he published influential manuals on technique. His influence spread through his students to the documentary and architectural photography of the period, including the photographic survey of French monuments known as the Mission Héliographique, in which he took part.

The Photography Bicentenary

The exhibition is part of France's 2026–2027 celebrations of two hundred years of photography, which include exhibitions across Paris.

Things to Know

• Dates: 10 November 2026 – 7 February 2027.
• Curator: Thomas Galifot.
• Bicentenary: part of the national photography celebrations.
• New acquisitions shown for the first time.

Visit the Exhibition

Planning a visit?

Visit the Musée d'Orsay

Tickets and opening hours are on the official Musée d'Orsay website.

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Last verified: October 29, 2026