A photography exhibition by Frédéric de la Mure
Official events, lineups of costumed politicians, protocol smiles and orchestrated crowds of children, workers, businesspeople - being the official photographer of an institution does not seem that exciting. But sometimes the person holding the camera has the power to transform the narrative, to discover hidden truths, to capture glimpses of unfiltered life. We saw it during Barack Obama's presidency with the moving, lively photographs of Pete Souza. Now, in Sofia, we see it in the philosophical photography of Frédéric de la Mure.
Frédéric de la Mure
Frédéric de la Mure was the official photographer of the French Foreign Ministry between 1982 and 2019. In those decades the world experienced tumultuous events, high-power summits and natural disasters. De la Mure was there to capture the official side of these. In between, he also photographed their unofficial side: the stories of ordinary people who happened to work, or suffer, or simply live through catastrophic or life-changing global events. He made thousands of photographs, publishing four books in the process.
Ninety-three of these photographs are now on exhibition at Sofia Press Gallery, curated by the artist himself and Olympia Daniel. The show is structured around several key themes: war and the scars it leaves, politics, love and life in its rawest and most authentic form. Children are the most vulnerable victims of grand politics, and they are inevitably present here - with searching, weary eyes that have already seen and experienced far too much.
Forvik, Norway, 2025
Two photographs seem to sum up the spirit and message of the exhibition, and of De la Mure's career at the French Foreign Ministry. One is from his last year at the ministry, the other – from his first one. In the photo from Mostar in 2019, the city still bearing marks from the infamous siege of 1992-1994. The other, from 1982, shows a humble worker, surrounded by busts of long-dead politicians, quietly cleaning historical paintings at Versailles ahead of some very important summit.
In humanity, the line between big history and small history is often vanishingly thin. Frédéric de la Mure's photographs help us see this - and accept it.
When: 16 June – 17 July 2026
Where: Sofia Press Gallery, 29 Slavyanska St
Curator: Olympia Daniel
The exhibition is organised in partnership with the Embassy of France to Bulgaria and the French Institute in Bulgaria
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