The Charles-Nègre Photography Museum in Nice is presenting a major retrospective of Michael Kenna, one of the most prominent figures in contemporary black-and-white photography. The exhibition, titled "Constellations," runs until January 25, 2026, showcasing 124 intimate and naturalistic images from the British photographer's five-decade career.
Kenna, who will turn 72 soon but appears fifteen years younger, maintains what he describes as his "adolescent soul." Born in Widnes, an industrial town in Cheshire, northwest England, the photographer was raised in a deeply religious family and spent seven years in seminary with aspirations of becoming a priest. This spiritual background profoundly influences his artistic vision today.
"I don't try to photograph what I see in front of me. I try to photograph what I can imagine," Kenna explains. "I think this comes from often being positioned in front of an altar with a little light, telling myself that God existed somewhere beyond that object." His religious training included something called "magnum silentium" - 10 to 12 hours of silence each day. "I think this helped me enormously in my discipline, to be concentrated and calm for long periods while photographing," he reflects.
The photographer continues to work exclusively with silver gelatin prints, personally developing his work in the darkroom without entrusting the process to anyone else. "It's demanding work that requires a lot of energy, like sculpture. For me, the darkroom is like a place of meditation, a sacred refuge," says Kenna, who despite international acclaim remains notably discreet about his personal life.
The exhibition at the Old Nice museum, just a stone's throw from Cours Saleya, features photographs taken in 21 of the 42 countries Kenna has visited during his half-century of practice. Exhibition curator Sabine Troncin-Denis explains the title choice: "The exhibition was named 'Constellations' because in his work, there's a geography of places that shine like Paris, Japan, or Venice. This word also resonated with the images that were important to him and those the public loved, because they provided the most emotions."
The vast majority of prints are deliberately small format, a conscious choice by the artist who believes in the more intimate character of these impressions. "Personally, I tend to linger on these small formats when I see them. You have to get within about four inches to see them in a certain way, then step back to reveal the entire photograph," Kenna notes.
Another constant feature of this selection, drawn from a base of approximately 4,000 works, is the complete absence of humans in the frame. "It's really an invitation to emptiness, to silence, and to living in the present moment. I compare it to theater, when you're waiting for the curtain to rise to see what's going to happen. When characters enter the scene, you stop using your own imagination," Kenna explains. He settled on black-and-white photography after experimenting with color work earlier in his career.
The museum's upstairs level showcases his travels through Asia, while the ground floor features five images documenting Kenna's previous encounter with Nice. These photographs date from 1997 when he participated in an exhibition called "10 Photographers and One City." "I had never come here before, I found the city very beautiful. Most of the time, I was alone exploring it. I also remember being escorted by police to photograph the cemetery on Castle Hill at night. I could have spent days and days in Nice, which is very rich in subjects," he recalls.
This retrospective offers visitors a unique glimpse into Kenna's meditative approach to photography, where each image serves as what he describes as "an invitation to emptiness, silence, and living in the present moment." The exhibition continues until January 25, 2026, with admission at 5 euros and free entry for residents of the Nice metropolitan area.
