Fernell Franco at the Fondation Cartier

Until June 5, 2016, the Fondation Cartier presents the first retrospective in Europe of the work by Fernell Franco (1942-2006). A photojournalist by trade, the Colombian photographer developed an important body of work centered on the precarious and conflictive nature of urban life in Cali (Colombia), the city in which Franco lived and worked for most of his professional life. Titled "Cali Chiaroscuro," the exhibition consists of 140 photographs in ten different series produced between 1970 and 1996. Under the curatorship of Alexis Fabry and María Wills-Londoño, the retrospective showcases the importance of Franco's work within the broader cultural context and as part of the vibrant artistic scene that emerged in Cali at the beginning of the 1970s—a scene that became a reality through the collaborative spirit of a local artistic community. Óscar Muñoz is another artist from the same artistic scene that also stood out. Muñoz participated in Franco's retrospective with a work specifically commissioned by the Fondation Cartier for the exhibition that pays tribute to Fernell Franco and points to his important contribution to the arts.