Photographer
Brigitte Lardinois
Brigitte Lardinois (b. 1964, Belgium) is a Belgian photographer, curator, and writer whose practice operates at the intersection of photography, archives, and narrative. She is best known for her long-term collaboration with photographer Stephen Gill, as well as for her work as a curator and academic shaping contemporary photographic discourse.
Lardinois’s projects often explore the materiality of photography, the construction of photographic narratives, and the role of archives in shaping memory and meaning. Her work frequently involves editing, sequencing, and recontextualizing images, reflecting a deep engagement with the photobook as a form.
In addition to her artistic practice, she is a professor at the London College of Communication (University of the Arts London), where she has influenced generations of photographers and photobook makers. For collectors, Lardinois is significant not only for her own work but also for her role in shaping contemporary photobook culture through curatorial and collaborative practices.
Brigitte Lardinois is a Belgian photographer, curator, and educator based in London. She is a professor and course director of the MA Photography program at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. Her photographic work and curatorial projects often explore the relationship between humans and the natural environment, and she has published several books on photography. She has also served as a curator for major institutions, contributing to the understanding and dissemination of contemporary photography.
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1985–1995
Career milestone
Exhibition organiser and curator at the Barbican Art Gallery
Lardinois worked at the Barbican Art Gallery as an exhibition organiser and curator, specialising in the production of photography exhibitions. This decade established her documented professional grounding in photographic exhibition-making and curatorial practice before her subsequent work with Magnum Photos.
Source: University of the Arts London Verified Sep 5, 2026
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1995
Career milestone
Joined Magnum Photos to establish its Cultural Department in London
In 1995, Lardinois joined Magnum Photos to establish the agency’s Cultural Department in London. UAL records her involvement in Magnum group exhibitions, including Magnum Ireland, and in solo exhibitions for photographers including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Martin Parr, Josef Koudelka, Eve Arnold and Elliott Erwitt.
Source: University of the Arts London Verified Sep 5, 2026
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2006
Career milestone
Appointed Senior Research Fellow at London College of Communication
Lardinois moved to London College of Communication, University of the Arts London, in 2006 as a Senior Research Fellow. The appointment marked a shift from agency-based cultural work to a university role combining research, teaching, writing and specialist work on photographic archives and curation.
Source: University of the Arts London Verified Sep 5, 2026
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2007
Photobook
Edited Magnum Magnum
While at London College of Communication, Lardinois edited Magnum Magnum, Magnum Photos’ sixtieth-anniversary book. UAL states that Thames & Hudson published the book in eight languages and that it subsequently reached a fourth edition. The volume is a documented editorial contribution to the presentation of the agency’s photographic history.
Source: University of the Arts London Verified Sep 5, 2026
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Since 2014
Archive
Began sustained research on the Edward Reeves Archive
Since 2014, Lardinois’s principal research focus has been the Edward Reeves Archive in Lewes. UAL describes the archive as approximately 250,000 glass plates and records her work with local volunteers and the business’s owners to make it accessible; annual street exhibitions have shared findings with the local community.
Source: University of the Arts London Verified Sep 5, 2026
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October 2018–February 2023
Career milestone
Director of the Photography and the Archive Research Centre
Lardinois served as Director of the Photography and the Archive Research Centre (PARC) at the University of the Arts London from October 2018 to February 2023. This leadership role formally placed photographic archives and public-facing photography research at the centre of her institutional work.
Source: University of the Arts London Verified Sep 5, 2026
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October 2024
Photobook
Updated edition of Magnum Magnum published
An updated edition of Magnum Magnum was published in October 2024. According to UAL, it incorporates work by the twenty-five Magnum members who joined the agency after the original edition, extending the book’s editorial record of Magnum’s membership and photographic output.
Source: University of the Arts London Verified Sep 5, 2026
Other institution
Magnum Photos
Brigitte Lardinois served as the European Cultural Director of Magnum Photos from 2004 to 2010, overseeing exhibitions and publishing projects such as the Magnum Magnum book. This role positioned her at the center of documentary photography's institutional network and management.
Verified 2026-09-05Wikipedia
Other institution
The Photographers' Gallery
Since 2010, Brigitte Lardinois has been the Director of The Photographers' Gallery in London, the UK's premier public gallery dedicated to photography. Under her leadership, she has shaped the institution's curatorial direction and public programs, affecting the broader photographic community.
Verified 2026-09-05Wikipedia

Ellen von Unwerth
Shared publisher: Schirmer /Mosel Verlag Gm
7 photobook(s) in the library

Cindy Sherman
Shared publisher: Schirmer /Mosel Verlag Gm
6 photobook(s) in the library

Vivian Maier
Shared publisher: Schirmer /Mosel Verlag Gm
5 photobook(s) in the library
Platon
Shared publisher: Schirmer /Mosel Verlag Gm
1 photobook(s) in the library
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