Les Rencontres de la Photographie d'Arles

The world meeting place for photography since 1970

Les Rencontres de la Photographie d'Arles were born in 1970 from the meeting of three personalities from Arles: photographer Lucien Clergue, writer Michel Tournier, and historian Jean-Maurice Rouquette. What was initially just a modest gathering of enthusiasts has become, over the decades, the leading international photography festival, a major cultural event that attracts more than 100,000 visitors to the city of Arles each year.

A city transformed into an open-air gallery

Every summer, from July to the end of September, the Rencontres take over some thirty remarkable heritage sites in Arles: the Church of the Preaching Friars, the Cloister of Saint-Trophime, the Espace Van Gogh, the SNCF Workshops (a former railway depot converted into an exhibition space), the General Mechanics, the Montmajour Abbey, and many others. This dissemination throughout the urban fabric invites visitors to discover the city as much as the photographic works.

A program balancing heritage and avant-garde

The program of Les Rencontres d'Arles is distinguished by its ability to combine major names in photography with emerging discoveries. The festival remains at the forefront of image evolution, new approaches, and the use of new technologies. The Prix Decouverte, one of the most coveted in the photographic world, reveals new talents each year. The photography workshops led by renowned masters, conferences, and artist encounters complete a dense and demanding program.

The Opening Week, the festival's highlight

The Opening Week is the most intense period of the Rencontres, bringing together professionals, collectors, gallerists, publishers, and discerning amateurs from around the world. It is a time for vernissages, award ceremonies, night screenings, debates, and parties that animate Arles day and night. This inaugural week sets the tone for a summer of photography that extends into the autumn.

Exceptional photographic heritage

Beyond the summer festival, Les Rencontres d'Arles has built up a collection of nearly 3,500 photographic works by over 470 photographers since 1976. The media library and audiovisual archives preserve the living memory of more than half a century of photography. Educational programs and participatory memory projects demonstrate the festival's commitment to transmitting and making photography accessible.