It’s undoubtedly one of the most moving exhibitions around right now. Until summer, the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris is presenting a chronological overview of Lee Miller’s life and career. She was an American model who became a Surrealism icon and one of the most famous reporters of the Second World War. This rich retrospective (the largest in France in the last 20 years) invites us to discover a truly unique artist.
A free woman, ahead of her time
In 1930, Lee Miller starred in The Blood of a Poet, a film by Jean Cocteau, marking her only experience as an actress. She plays an ancient statue that suddenly comes to life, transforming from a muse and object of art into a conscious, willful person.
The work that opens the exhibition. A choice that perfectly represents the life of the photographer, who enjoys a prolific career as a model before moving to the other side of the camera in the 1920s, transitioning from subject to creator.Voir cette publication sur Instagram
With this transition, made notably alongside Man Ray, her first mentor and companion, the exhibition continues, allowing us to dive directly into the unique sensitivity of the artist. Along the walls, her ability to explore and play with her preferred medium is revealed, offering us unique shots that capture the human essence, without ever showing it directly. Shadows, hands, silhouettes, distorted faces, and backs become recurring motifs in her work.
A Dive into 20th Century Art
From room to room, from her early experiments in France to her life in Égypt, Lee Miller becomes the reporter of her time, never setting aside the artistic dimension of her work.
her fashion shots for Vogue, shining with ingenuity, blending fashion and politics, or her desire to immortalize Eastern cultures during her travels.
Lee Miller, Charlie Chaplin at the Chandelier, Saint-Moritz, 1932 © Lee Miller Archives England 2026 All Rights Reserved
Even more so, it’s the proliferation of well-known names and faces appearing from print to print that helps to highlight the significance of Lee Miller in the artistic scene of her time. Leonora Carrington, Dora Maar, and Nusch Éluard, who all transitioned from being muses to artists, as well as Man Ray, Picasso, Paul Éluard, René Magritte, and Colette, she will not cease to receive and immortalize throughout her life.
A Life Marked by Struggle
But the most striking part of the exhibition is undoubtedly the central third, which reflects on .the work of the photographer during World War II. A war correspondent for the American army, she fought hard to get accredited to access war zones to capture the horror. She was also one of the first to take pictures of the landing beaches as well as the concentration camps of Buchenwald and Dachau barely liberated. These chilling images, featured at the heart of the exhibition, reserved for a knowledgeable audience, will leave a lasting impact on the artist, but they also showcase the full power of her talent and the strength of her character.
Lee Miller, The photographer David E. Scherman dressed for war, London, 1942 © Lee Miller Archives England 2026 All Rights Reserved
Lee Miller
Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris
11, avenue du Président-Wilson – 16th
Until August 2, 2026
More info