Controversies: A Legal and Ethical History of Photography

Since its invention in 1839, photography has provoked numerous controversies and sensational trials. The photographic image has been at the centre of important ethical debates and legal questions throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. As a symbol of free expression and the rights of individuals, but also of power and money, it has frequently come into conflict with authority and has had to face censorship and manipulation. It has provoked impassioned debates in the worlds of art, science, politics, journalism, fashion and advertising that have often ended in court. Most major photographers have been drawn into legal proceedings or controversies that have had important repercussions on their careers.

The Musée de l’Elysée has brought together a wide range of photographs from the beginnings of photography to the present day, which have been the focus of controversy or legal proceedings. A selection of Danish cases of controversy will be added to the exhibition upon this occasion.