Arab News Japan

The first ever museum entirely dedicated to iconic cameras opened its doors in Paris. The 99 Cameras Museum takes visitors on a journey through a century of photography, accompanied by some of the most iconic cameras ever produced.

The collection of 99 rare cameras, spanning a century, is the museum founder Federico Benincasa’s family heirloom. It was assembled by his father Gianpaolo Benincasa over a period of more than 50 years and is now exhibited by his son at Studio Harcourt, a Parisian institution of photography since 1937.

The collection includes rare cameras from the likes of very early Leicas, Nikon, Rollei, Minox, Jaeger Le Coultre and more. 

Avoiding an exhaustive historical exhibition, the curation aims to offer an aesthetic, playful, informative and slightly nostalgic experience.

Visitors will discover 99 cameras from well-known brands, as well as lesser-known treasures that shaped photography in the 20th century. The focus is on the industrial period and the innovations that made photography accessible to the general public. The cameras are accompanied by concise, accessible descriptions focusing on anecdotes and points of relief.

Admission to the museum is free, in accordance with Gianpaolo’s wishes, but visitors who wish to do so can support the museum through a new type of NFT sponsorship.

The 99 Cameras Museum is in fact the first museum in the world where visitors can acquire exclusive digital duplicates of all the cameras on display and own a “share” of the collection, thus helping to preserve it.         

Numerous organizations, photographers and collectors have already decided to support the museum as founding members through this innovative NFT sponsorship solution.

Read more about ‘The 99 Cameras Club’ here: Photographic memory: 2,000-piece vintage camera collection to be sold as NFTs