Having worked at the Centre Pompidou for thirteen years, including five as a curator in the Photography Department of the Musée national d’art moderne, Julie Jones will succeed Simon Baker as Director of the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in 2026. The Eye of Photography met with her to discuss her vision for the Parisian institution.
How did you come to photography?
Photography became a passion for me at a fairly early age. I practised it when I was younger, and I used to visit the MEP as a teenager. I later developed a more theoretical interest during my studies in art history. It is a field I continued to explore throughout my doctoral research, and one that I was able to further deepen during my time at the Centre Pompidou.
You worked for thirteen years in the Photography Department of the Musée national d’art moderne after training as a researcher. What are your main areas of focus?
My phd thesis focused on the relationships between the historical avant-gardes in Europe and the United States.. Beyond this area of specialisation, I have always remained very open to contemporary practices. At the Centre Pompidou, there is a strong commitment to breaking down boundaries—between periods, themes, and geographies. Our mission is to bring into the collections both iconic works from the history of the twentieth century and very contemporary pieces, which has led me to develop a particularly broad perspective.
How does this manifest in your relationship with the medium of photography today?
This initial interest in the question of photographic avant-gardes and transatlantic exchanges is something that continues to guide me: the movement of people, the circulation of ideas, and the exchange of formal or theoretical innovations across different contexts…
I am also attentive to artists who go against what might be expected of them. For example, those who, at first glance, appear highly formalist or aestheticizing, but who are actually engaged in a deeply committed practice. I am drawn to artists who play with our expectations and position themselves where we least anticipate.
Finally, I am interested in artists who question the major figures of the past and reflect on their relevance today. This approach thinking in terms of back-and-forths and seeing chronology as porous rather than linear seems essential to me.
To what extent does dialogue with contemporary photographers shape the way you work?
Being close to contemporary photographers is intrinsic to my work and absolutely necessary. To understand an artist and this is also how I approach building a collection it is important to follow their development. Art is organic: there are periods when an artist may be searching, taking longer to find what they want to say or the form in which to express it. As a curator or institution director, one must be humble and humane, supporting an artist over time, not just at the moment of an acquisition or an exhibition. This approach is a key method for me, and it will be even more so at the MEP.
What are the distinctive features of the MEP’s collection?
This is one of the reasons I am delighted to be joining the MEP: it holds a remarkable collection with a very strong identity. Much of it has been built around major ensembles, notably those connected to landmark publications such as The Americans by Robert Frank or Tulsa by Larry Clark. These highly comprehensive ensembles are extremely singular, and in most cases have no equivalent in national collections.
The post-war Japanese photography collection is also truly outstanding. It was built up over the long term by Jean-Luc Monterosso [co-founder of the MEP and its director from 1996 to 2018, editor’s note].
How would you like to highlight and develop these holdings?
The idea would be to continue this approach of acquiring ensembles, which makes sense both from a heritage perspective and in terms of representing an artist’s work. It would also involve addressing certain gaps and opening the collection more fully to less Western-centric practices, while keeping in mind that we are the Maison Européenne de la Photographie. I will therefore remain very attentive to European creation. I also wish to maintain a strong focus on gender parity, a commitment that Simon Baker had already firmly established.
Could you tell us about the upcoming programme?
The 2026 programme is already well structured, so I will aim to intervene as little as possible. This year will be particularly significant, as it marks the thirtieth anniversary of the MEP, which also coincides with the bicentenary of photography. It will be a major year of celebration, with events marking this anniversary through both the presentation of the collections and a reflection on the history of the association itself and its role within the photographic landscape.
How would you like to shape the programme thereafter?
From 2027 onwards, I would like to continue highlighting major historical figures of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, while placing them in dialogue with the emerging scene. Support for this emerging scene, initiated under the previous direction, is something I intend to maintain through various formats, including the creation of an annual festival that would become a key moment for the MEP and, more broadly, for the photographic community.
I would also like to further develop the research dimension, with thematic exhibitions emerging from in-depth exploratory work, capable of shedding sustained light on a subject. Finally, through exhibitions, I would like to place greater emphasis on the library’s holdings, which constitute one of the finest collections of photographic books in the world.
When it comes to emerging photographers, the Studio already provides an important platform. Is this something you would like to expand?
I would like to give even more space to young artists. Emerging practices are often those that require the most room. The aim will therefore be not to limit ourselves to the Studio format alone, but also to invent new forms that are better suited to contemporary practices.
What about the building itself?
Discussions are currently underway regarding the very form of the MEP, while bearing in mind that it is a protected building. My aim would be to do everything possible to make the MEP an even more welcoming place, open to what I hope will be an increasingly diverse and expanded audience. This involves enhancing a sense of conviviality throughout all transitional spaces, and not only within the exhibition galleries. It is a real challenge, but there is still much to be done in this area, and it is one of the key directions I would like to pursue.
What are your ideas regarding audiences and mediation?
The MEP’s educational department is already very dynamic, which is a real asset. The goal will be to sustain this energy while continuing to develop new partnerships—for example with the City of Paris—in order to carry out coordinated initiatives. I would like to strengthen anything that can encourage more active forms of engagement and counter a certain passivity in relation to images. A programme of training, aimed at both amateur and professional audiences, will also very likely be developed.
On the eve of the bicentennial celebration of photography in France, how do you perceive the challenges facing contemporary photography?
The bicentennial is an extraordinary opportunity to celebrate photography, which has never ceased to evolve since its inception. It serves as a reminder of how democratic, open, generous, and constantly reinventing this medium has been from Nicéphore Niépce’s first image to today’s AI-generated visuals.
I believe these changes should be approached with careful attention rather than suspicion. It is essential to move forward in step with the times. When the Internet emerged, it sparked many concerns just as photography did in its early days. This is a natural phenomenon. Every major advancement challenges us to rethink our relationship with reality and the world. But we must learn to live with these transformations and actively engage with them.
I would like to open a discussion about the medium and its evolution, centering on a key question: what is contemporary photography? The MEP was created to celebrate and promote what is called contemporary photography. It continues to do so today and will do so in the years to come. Yet it is important to reflect on what this notion truly encompasses and to explore the very fluidity of the medium.
Interview by Zoé Isle de Beauchaine
