Paris, March 20, 2007

Dear Martine Barrat,

With this letter we have the pleasure to inform you that the Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP) has planned to invite you to present a large exhibition of your work, starting October 10, 2007 through January 6, 2008. As you well know, the MEP is a cultural institution under the authority of the Municipality of Paris that welcomes and develops partnerships with the private sector for our ongoing projects. Since this will be the first major retrospective presentation of your work to be presented in France and considering the extraordinary depth and power of your photography, we have little doubt that together we will be able to find the financial support needed to produce the exhibition prints, the accompanying catalogue and the compilation of the video materials recorded over many years as well as to insure the full participation of yourself and those who will assist you in the coordination, the promotion and the hanging of the show alongside our own museum team. Dedicated to contemporary photography, the MEP is homed in a XVIIIth century hôtel particulier at the very heart of Paris and has become one of the most important cultural venues of the French capital. Over the years it has been promoting major living artists of our times. Donors or sponsors willing to support your exhibition will benefit from the association with the prestigious image of our institution both in terms of media communication and public relations. Their names will naturally be linked to any information, press documentation, and displays handled by us. They will also be given the opportunity to invite honored guests to the opening and they will be included in any educational activity or event related to your exhibition.

We hope that our joint efforts will contribute to allow your exhibition to take place under the very best conditions.

February 15th, 2014

This is to certify that I have known Martine Barrat, the photographer, filmmaker and videographer for many years. In 2007, the Mason Européenne de la Photographie (MEP) in Paris organized a major exhibition of her work, entitled "Harlem in My Heart," which was a great success. The MEP collection has acquired 105 photos and 3 videos by Martine Barrat. Her photographs, given the evolution of the art market, can now be estimated at a value of 5,000 euros each. Martine Barrat is a recognized artist whose works, especially her images of inhabitants of New York’s Harlem are invaluable documents of a particular period and of neighborhoods that have since disappeared.