From the 13th to the 16th of November, the Paris Photo festival returns and opens its doors to the thousands of supporters it attracts each year. The festival is an international affair and celebrates 19th century and contemporary photography. As always, the event will be held at the Carrousel de Louvre; a prestigious and impressive venue that allows the exhibitors to show off their work to its best potential. The event attracts some of the most important galleries and editors worldwide and is therefore worth a visit.

The fair was founded in 1997 under the strict direction of art publisher Rik Gadella and has since made its name as one of the most important cultural events on the art calendar worldwide. Over one hundred exhibitors and eighty seven art galleries from over twelve different countries are represented in the exhibition, all of which showcasing their best work. This year in particular, the fair will be focusing on the origins of photography and its journey to today, concentrating on practices in the 19th century in comparison with the practices of today.

Every year the fair holds a special theme and this year, Japanese photography has been chosen. Japan has been invited as the guest of honour to the event and there is no doubt that there will therefore be an array of exceptional Oriental exhibits. If you wonder why exactly this country in particular has been invited, it may very well be down to the fact that Japan was one of the very first known countries to have adopted the art, back in 1850.

If you still don’t believe how important an event Paris Photo is, have a look at some of these stats:

• The fair attracts around 40 000 people a year. 40% of which are foreigners.
• There are around 120 exhibitors, galleries, editors and magazines – from over 20 countries.
• More than 500 international photographs are represented.
• The fair has media coverage from over 500 articles and press releases, from prestigious international press.
• An attendance of around 1 000 accredited journalists from over 50 countries.

So there you have it. Paris Photo is one of the most looked forward to events on the art calendar. For any budding photographers or anyone remotely interested in the art, this fair is a must. Remember to book your accommodation (alojamiento en París) ahead of time as hotels (hoteles París) and apartments (apartamentos París) are in high demand. There’s no doubt you’ll have a great time in this city.