Exposition photo plein air : Rose Antique

29 testimonies and portraits of elderly LGBTQIA+ individuals who openly embraced their sexual orientation at a time when it was more complicated than today.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of civil marriage for all and World Pride Amsterdam 2026, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in France presents the exhibition "Rose Antique" during Pride Month in Paris.

The Netherlands was the first country in the world to allow civil marriage for same-sex couples. Celebrating this important milestone goes beyond mere marriage; it is about human dignity, freedom, and universal human rights.

This exhibition portrays the testimonies of 29 elderly LGBTQIA+ individuals who had the courage to share their portraits and personal stories.

The Netherlands promotes equal rights for LGBTQIA+ people worldwide by working with other countries within the Equal Rights Coalition (ERC), which includes France.

In this context, the City of Paris, strongly committed to these issues, takes part in this collective effort for equal rights for LGBTQIA+ people, in partnership with its international partners.

With "Rose Antique", Dutch photographer and artist Ernst Coppejans looks back at the experience of the first generation of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual people who dared to publicly embrace their identity in the Netherlands.

This generation enabled queer emancipation and offered today's LGBTQIA+ community a freedom that was far from obvious, and which must be actively maintained.

Ernst Coppejans depicts the personal, inspiring, and sometimes shocking, but above all beautiful and intimate stories of these LGBTQIA+ seniors from the Netherlands and beyond. These personal portraits and stories will fuel conversations between older and younger generations.

In collaboration with the Fondation Open Mind association, they have been gathered and formatted to create a travelling multimedia exhibition, a magazine, a podcast and u