Works of French photographer Marc Riboud on display in central China

A visitor looks at the exhibits during the preview of “West Meets East: Retrospective Exhibition of Marc Riboud’s Photography” at the Hunan Museum in Changsha, capital of central China’s Hunan Province, Sept. 25, 2024. (Xinhua/Lin Jianjie)
CHANGSHA, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) — From a wedding held in a textile factory in the 1950s to a man in a suit speaking on a brick phone in the 1990s, a new exhibition featuring the works of French photographer Marc Riboud offers precious glimpses of a fast-changing China over a period of half a century.
The exhibition named, “West Meets East: Retrospective Exhibition of Marc Riboud’s Photography,” opened on Thursday at the Hunan Museum in Changsha, capital of central China’s Hunan Province, and features 148 photos taken by Riboud — 67 of which he shot in China between 1957 and 2010.
About 10 works are being exhibited in China for the first time, including a color photo showing a couple carrying a television on a street in Beijing in 1980, shortly after the country launched its reform and opening-up drive.
The late photographer was best known for his extensive reports on China and Asia.
“Marc Riboud had a keen eye for Chinese society. His works, which have a unique visual rhythm and are deeply humanistic, show different sides of the changing life in China,” said Huang Lei, curator of the exhibition, noting that Riboud held a special place in cultural exchanges between China and France.
Co-organized by the Hunan Museum and France’s Guimet National Museum of Asian Arts, the exhibition is part of this year’s Croisements Festival, which marks 60 years of diplomatic ties between China and France. The exhibition will last until Dec. 10. ■

A visitor looks at the exhibits during the preview of “West Meets East: Retrospective Exhibition of Marc Riboud’s Photography” at the Hunan Museum in Changsha, capital of central China’s Hunan Province, Sept. 25, 2024. (Xinhua/Lin Jianjie)