The History of European Photography (1900 – 2000) is an international research
project spanning the whole of Europe. The project’s main aim is to publish an ency-
clopaedia in English (5000 copies per volume, about 600 pages per book), divided
into three volumes / periods, volume 1 – 1900 – 1938, volume 2 – 1939-1970, volume
3 1971 – 2000. Each volume of the encyclopaedia will be organized alphabetically by
country. A study on the history of photography in each country will be written by an
expert on photography from that country. Alongside the main studies, each book will
contain extensive additional material, biographies of mentioned photographers, and
timetables marking cultural, socio-political and technical photographic events in each
country for a given period. There will be two types of indices in each book: an index of
mentioned photographers and an index of other historical names and subjects.
The project is coordinated by Prof. Václav Macek, chairman of FOTOFO association,
professor at the University of Performing Arts, Bratislava, and director of the Month of
Photography festival, Bratislava.
Past years, we have put together a team of 46 internationally well-known experts from
35 countries, such as Gerry Badger, Hans Michael Koetzle, Mark Tamisier,
Vladimír Birgus, Jan-Erik Lundström (see below). Using this strategy, we can guarantee
the first class quality of our information.
The first volume of the publication, including the period of time between 1900 – 1938
has been released at the end of 2001, and its Godfather become painter Rudolf Sikory.
The release of the 2nd volume (1939 – 1969) is planned for 2013 and the third volume
(1970 – 2000) for year 2015. Distribution of each volume will be realized through our
partners from the European Month of Photography network: Maison Europeene de la
Photographie, Paris, Café-Crème, Luxembourgh, Kultur Projekte, Berlin, Vladimir und
Estragon, Vienna, House of Photography in Budapest, Photon Association in Ljubljana.
Distribution will also be secured by individual bookstores and photography centres all
around Europe.
