5 reasons to visit the Lee Miller exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art

You couldn't have missed it if you’ve taken the Paris metro recently: the renowned American-born photographer and artist Lee Miller (1907–1977) is currently the subject of an exhibition at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris.

By turns a fashion model, an artist's model, a photographer close to the Surrealists, a war photojournalist, and even a gourmet cook, Lee Miller constantly reinvented herself throughout her life—defying her destiny to such an extent that her face has been featured in numerous biographies and even a film.

It is to celebrate this courageous, rebellious, and modern artist that the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris—in collaboration with Tate Britain (London) and the Art Institute of Chicago—is presenting an exceptional retrospective running until August 2, 2026. This exhibition marks her return to the Parisian cultural scene after a long absence, the last Lee Miller retrospective having taken place at the Jeu de Paume in 2008.

In this article, I share five reasons to visit this exhibition without delay, as it enters its final weeks at the Museum of Modern Art:

1/ Lee Miller—born Elizabeth Miller—began her career as one of New York’s most sought-after models during the interwar period. Her rise to fame coincided with the boom of the illustrated press, which found in her the embodiment of everything the fashion world demanded: a professional beauty that was simultaneously classical and modern, an instinctive ability to pose, and a consummate flair for staging. This prompted renowned photographers such as Edward Steichen, Arnold Genthe, and George Hoyningen-Huene to make the then-19-year-old Lee Miller their muse.

2/ Lee Miller posed for the very first advertisement for women's sanitary pads! Although this happened without her consent—her image having been sold to the Kotek brand without her authorization—Lee Miller played a part, however unwittingly, in breaking the taboo surrounding menstruation back in the late 1920s.

3/ Determined—and perhaps a touch reckless—Lee Miller did not hesitate to cross the Atlantic to become the assistant of the famous Surrealist artist Man Ray (1890–1976), even though he refused to take on students! Legend has it that she once introduced herself to him by declaring: "I am your new student."

4/ During World War II, Lee Miller was one of the few female war photographers accredited by the US Army. This gave her authorization to cover the liberation of the European continent, from Normandy to Alsace and on into Germany. It was there, in 1945, alongside American photographer David E. Scherman (who worked for *Life*), that she became one of the first to photograph the horrors of the concentration camps at Dachau and Buchenwald. Following these grim discoveries, she and Scherman were the first to enter Hitler’s Munich apartment on the day of his suicide. This led to her most famous photograph: a shot taken by Scherman of her in the dictator's bathtub, following a carefully staged setup.

5/ Deeply shaken by the horrors of war and suffering from a condition that was little understood at the time—post-traumatic stress—Lee Miller never spoke about her work to her only son, Antony Penrose. In the 1950s, she even decided to completely change her life by becoming a Cordon Bleu cook at her new home, Farleys Farm House in Sussex (southeast England), creating recipes that grew increasingly surreal—such as blue spaghetti or an all-white dinner for 100 guests!

Bonus: are you a music lover? You might be interested to know that Lee Miller inspired the first verse of a song by the British indie-pop band Alt-J—specifically, the track "Deadcrush." ​​Click here to listen to it!

Has this article made you want to learn more about Lee Miller, that fascinating figure of 20th-century art and photography?

I invite you to discover his/her world through:

• A guided tour of the exhibition dedicated to her at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, before it closes on August 2, 2026.

  
  

• A lecture on his extraordinary life, his artistic journey, and his role in the history of the 20th century.

These two formats can be combined or arranged separately, depending on your preferences. Feel free to contact me to discuss this and to organize a tailor-made experience!