Museum

As a Contemporary Art Center of the French Community Wallonia-Brusssels, the Photography Museum is situated in an ancient renovated neo-gothic Carmelite convent since 1987.

Thanks to a new contemporary wing opened in 2008, the museum has nowadays become the broadest and one of the most important photography museum in Europe, displaying more than 2200 m2 exhibition surface with an artistic and technical photography variety.

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Photographs

Permanently exhibited

Exhibition area

0 m²

Negatives

Visitors

0 a year

Total area

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Park

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1978
The non-profit organization “Photographie Ouverte” was founded in 1978 and arose from the commitment of Jeanne and Georges Vercheval. Its first real public opening was in 1979. From then on, the future museum nurtured projects, started collect photographs and equipment for the collection and made itself known by installations in various places in Charleroi.
1980
In 1980, the success of the first “International Triennial of Photography” persuaded the authorities to support the non-profit organisation by making an area available and the “Gallery of the Musée de la Photograhie” was set up in Rue Huart Chapel in Charleroi. Many exhibitions were organised there.
1987
In 1987, the “Musée de la Photographie, Contemporary Art Center of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation”, was inaugurated in the buildings of the former Carmelite convent built at the end of the 19^th century in Mont-sur-Marchienne. A new momentum was given to the Museum’s activities.
1995
In 1995, major refurbishment work were carried out to adapt the convent to its new role and convert the building into a modern, functional and convivial museum. The structure is now outwards open.
2000
The collection quickly grow up. The need to provide additional room to welcome visitors, the exhibition of the permanent collection and the stock rooms induced the museum to expand once again under impetus of Xavier Canonne, who became it's director in March 2000.
2008
Nestling in an urban inlet, the Museum’s new wing, designed by Escaut Architecture, took root in the orchard of the former Carmelite monastery. (Project co-funded by the “Wallonia-Brussels Federation” and the European Union – FEDER fund) Bringing art and architecture together, the project integrates the visual artist Jeanine Cohen is piece of work. The slender aluminium extrusions covering the front develop a bond with sky and light. Barely perceptible colours, permeating from behind, diffuse their reflections as the hours of the day tick away, following the path of the sun, and changing with the passing seasons. It is a photographic piece of work on its own and it questions the sense of photography as much as our own senses. In 2008 the “Musée de la Photographie” inaugurated its new wing adjoining the former Carmelite monastery and thereby became as the largest and one of the major photography museums in Europe.

Facilities

The discovery trail

The discovery trail is an educational zone aimed at anyone who is keen to learn and be amazed. This fun trail introduces visitors to the main concepts of photography, covering its basic principles, language and applications. Discover the pioneers of photography and visit a 19th century photographer’s studio. Go inside the camera obscura before observing the properties of light. Examine the inner workings and attributes of vision (such as perspective and unique viewpoint) and learn about its limits (such as persistence of vision and optical illusions). From here, we move on to the language of photography and consider concepts such as viewpoint and framing, which allow the photographer to highlight or remove elements of reality. The trail continues with the publication of photography – press photography, photography in advertising, true-to-life images and those that have been altered for aesthetic, political or commercial purposes.

Darkroom

What could be more fascinating than discovering through real-life demonstrations the process – and magic - of developing photographs? This outstanding facility allows trainees to put their observations into practice, whether it’s creating photograms, exploring the principle of pinhole cameras or, for older visitors, experimenting with chemigrams and the darkroom processes used by the surrealists. Play around with composition, transparency, different shades of grey and image manipulation and let your creativity run wild!

Digital laboratory

Our digital laboratory is the perfect companion for the darkroom and allows visitors to learn about technological developments in photography. They can use software to explore “classic” concepts of photography hands-on, such as framing and viewpoint, and improve their understanding of the techniques involved (such as Photoshopping and data transmission) within the broader context of media literacy.

Learning room

Cut, paste, paint, assemble, imagine, create, photograph – whether it’s training, workshops or taster courses, our learning events are held in a large room in the Museum’s new wing with direct access to the park.