Celebrating 200 Years of Photography
1827–2027
France 🇫🇷 — India 🇮🇳 — The World 🌍
India Joins the Bicentennial of Photography 2026–2027
The French Ministry of Culture is organizing the Bicentenaire de la Photographie, a major national celebration running from September 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027, commemorating two centuries of photography and the pioneering achievements of Joseph Nicéphore Niépce.
The Joseph Nicéphore Niépce Foundation, Mavelikara, India, proudly joins this international celebration, honouring Niépce’s creation of the first permanent photograph and his enduring contribution to the history of photography.
As part of this historic bicentennial, the Foundation looks forward to promoting the legacy, heritage, and continuing evolution of photography for future generations.
INDIA JOINS THE BICENTENNIAL OF PHOTOGRAPHY 2026–2027
Joseph Nicéphore Niépce Foundation, Mavelikara, India
The Joseph Nicéphore Niépce Foundation, Mavelikara, India, proudly joins the international celebration of the Bicentennial of Photography 2026–2027, commemorating two centuries since Joseph Nicéphore Niépce created the first permanent photograph.
The Government of France, through its Ministry of National Education and the official éduscol education portal, has launched a major national programme celebrating the 200th anniversary of photography. The programme places the pioneering work of Joseph Nicéphore Niépce at the heart of this historic celebration.
The French initiative particularly recalls Niépce’s historic “Point de vue du Gras”, created from the window of his estate at Saint-Loup-de-Varennes. Two hundred years later, this first photographic view continues to inspire the world to look, remember and understand through photography.
In solidarity with this international celebration, the Joseph Nicéphore Niépce Foundation, Mavelikara, is undertaking a unique initiative in India to honour the memory and legacy of Joseph Nicéphore Niépce.
A Memorial for the Pioneer of Photography
A permanent Joseph Nicéphore Niépce Memorial is being established at Mavelikara, Kerala, India, as a tribute to the visionary inventor whose pioneering experiments opened a new chapter in the history of human civilization.
The Memorial is envisioned not merely as a monument, but as a place of history, education, research, photographic heritage and international cultural friendship.
It will preserve and communicate the story of Niépce and the birth of photography, while creating an opportunity for future generations in India to discover the extraordinary French contribution to the history of the photographic image.
From France to India — A Shared Heritage
The Bicentennial of Photography provides a unique opportunity to strengthen the cultural connection between France and India through the universal language of photography.
From Niépce’s window at Le Gras in France to the landscapes and lives recorded by photographers across India, photography has transformed the way humanity sees and remembers the world.
The Foundation believes that the story of photography belongs not to one nation alone, but to the shared cultural heritage of humanity.
1827–2027
As the world approaches the 200th anniversary of Niépce’s pioneering achievement, the Joseph Nicéphore Niépce Foundation, Mavelikara, expresses its solidarity with the French institutions, museums, cultural organisations, educational institutions and photographic communities participating in the Bicentennial celebrations.
We respectfully dedicate our Memorial initiative in India to the memory of:
- JOSEPH NICÉPHORE NIÉPCE
- 1765–1833
- Pioneer of Photography
From Saint-Loup-de-Varennes to Mavelikara, from France to India, we celebrate two centuries of the human desire to preserve light, time and memory.
Joseph Nicéphore Niépce Foundation
Honouring the past. Preserving the heritage. Inspiring the future of photography.
