Jacques Henri Lartigue: Life in Colour

Featuring more than 150 works, Jacques Henri Lartigue: Life in Colour explores the artist’s lifelong fascination with colour through a remarkable collection of rarely seen photographs.

Alongside his colour images, visitors can discover vintage prints, personal archives and experimental stereoscopic photographs that create striking three-dimensional effects.

Born near Paris in 1894, Lartigue began taking photographs as a child and went on to document more than 70 years of life, capturing everything from family moments and holidays to celebrities, artists and high society. Although best known for his black-and-white photography, he was also an early pioneer of colour photography, experimenting with the medium long before it became widely accessible. His work offers a unique and intimate portrait of the people, places and cultural changes that shaped the 20th century.

The exhibition spans Lartigue’s extraordinary career, from drawings made during his childhood in the early 1900s to photographs of fashion, travel and life on the French Riviera. Visitors will also see images inspired by his passion for speed and innovation, including motor racing and early aviation, subjects that helped establish him as one of the pioneers of modern photography.

Offering a fascinating glimpse into a century of social and cultural change, Life in Colour reveals a lesser-known side of one of France’s most influential photographers and celebrates an artist whose work continues to inspire generations today.

Jacques Henri Lartigue: Life in Colour is organised in collaboration with the Association des Amis de Jacques Henri Lartigue, Ministère de la Culture, France and diChroma Photography.

📷 Jacques Henri Lartigue: Life in Colour

📅 20 June – 4 October 2026

📍 MK Gallery, 900 Midsummer Boulevard, Milton Keynes MK9 3QA

⌚ Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 5pm. Closed Mondays

Main Image - Installation view of Jacques Henri Lartigue_ Life in Colour at MK Gallery. Photograph by Jo Underwood (4)