The Musée de l'Ancien Évêché in Grenoble presents a major retrospective of François Kollar's groundbreaking photography through September 20, 2026. The exhibition "Nous, à l'œuvre" showcases approximately 130 images from the photographer's landmark series "La France travaille," offering contemporary audiences a window into 1930s French industrial life. This comprehensive show marks a rare opportunity to examine Kollar's humanistic documentation of working-class France, drawn from the extensive archive preserved at Paris's Bibliothèque Forney.

In 1931, the publishing house Éditions des Horizons de France commissioned the young Slovak photographer to create a visual inventory of French industry, craftsmanship, and agriculture. Kollar, who had immigrated to Paris in 1924, spent four years traveling across the country, producing over 10,000 photographs. Of these, 2,000 were published in the influential book "La France travaille," which celebrated the dignity and skill of ordinary workers. This ambitious project established Kollar's reputation and created an unparalleled visual record of France's working population during the interwar period.

Kollar's photographic approach centered on the human element within industrial environments. Rather than focusing solely on machinery or products, he positioned workers at the heart of his compositions, emphasizing their physical presence, gestures, and expertise. His images reveal the aesthetic power of labor, employing innovative camera angles, creative framing, and thoughtful composition to elevate everyday work into art. Whether photographing factory workers, artisans, miners, dockworkers, or farmers, Kollar maintained a sensitive gaze that honored his subjects' inherent dignity.

The exhibition organizes these photographs to highlight both their artistic merit and historical significance. Curators have selected images that demonstrate Kollar's technical mastery and his ability to capture the poetry of manual labor. Visitors can trace the photographer's journeys through different regions and industries, observing how he adapted his vision to various working conditions while maintaining consistent humanistic values. The show also contextualizes Kollar's work within the broader documentary photography movement of the 1930s.

Beyond their aesthetic appeal, these photographs serve as crucial historical documents. They reveal the working conditions, technologies, and social structures of pre-war France, preserving a world that would soon be transformed by World War II and postwar modernization. Kollar's images of women in factories, colonial workers, and rural artisans provide particularly valuable insights into the diversity of France's workforce and the beginning of social changes that would accelerate in subsequent decades.

The Musée de l'Ancien Évêché, located at 2 rue Très-Cloîtres in Grenoble's historic center, offers visitors a fitting setting for this exploration of French heritage. The museum's commitment to showcasing Kollar's work reflects a growing recognition of photography's importance in understanding social history. As contemporary debates about labor, immigration, and industrial transformation continue, Kollar's respectful portrayal of working people remains remarkably relevant, reminding viewers of the human stories behind economic production.