Lee Shulman

About the Artist and “The Anonymous Project ”

Behind “The Anonymous Project ” is the eye of its founder Lee Shulman

Born in London, UK, Lee Shulman graduated from the University of Westminster with a Bachelor of Arts, being during his career recognized with multiple awards as a film director and as an artist because of his work in advertising and music videos. Currently living and working in Paris, he founded “The Anonymous Project” as an arts project in 2017, which has gone on to become one of the most important and unique collections of amateur photography slides in the world.

Lee started the project when he bought a random box of slides online; he immediately fell in love with the people and stories he discovered in these windows into past lives. A forgotten collective memory now brought back to life through exhibitions, publications, and collaborative art projects.

His first book, Mid-Century Memories, edited by Taschen, was named The Times Photography Book of the Year. His last book, Déjà View, which pairs his work alongside the work of photographer Martin Parr, came out at the end of last year to critical acclaim and will be the subject of various exhibitions in 2022.

His exhibition The House was one of the highlights at the Photography Festival in Arles in 2019. Since then, his work has been exhibited widely and internationally, including collaborations with Martin Parr at Magnum in Paris and London, as well as major museum exhibitions. Exhibitions are often immersive experiences, including artworks, large-scale installations, and projections that bring to life the unique images from the collection.

The Anonymous Project has in turn become an artistic endeavor that seeks to give meaning to these once-forgotten memories and create new ways of interpretation and storytelling that question our place in the world today. It has been shown around the world and is reputed for its unique way of curating and exhibiting the images in immersive and experimental installations that bring to life these once-forgotten memories.

The unique selections of images all come from the private collection of Lee Shulman, which today numbers over 800,000 slides.

STATEMENT - Words from the artist

“Life is a mosaic of ordinary moments that transform into extraordinary memories.

These moments shared with those we love—whether around a warm meal or during a quiet stroll—are little miracles that enrich our daily lives.

It is the sincere smiles, the spontaneous bursts of laughter, the deep conversations, or even the knowing silences that leave their mark on our hearts and imprint on our souls. Within these fragments of life lies the true essence of our existence.

It is not so much the setting that changes but the way we perceive these moments. A birthday celebration, for instance, is not merely an occasion to rejoice but a testament to love and connection, proof that we are surrounded by those who truly matter. A simple family dinner can turn into a symphony of memories and sensations, an invitation to relive those fleeting yet precious moments of shared happiness.

Thus, the extraordinary often hides within the simplest aspects of everyday life. These moments remind us that the beauty of life lies not so much in grand events but in the little things—the moments when, surrounded by our loved ones, we feel fully alive.”

Lee Shulman

SOME COLLECTIONS WHERE THE ANONYMOUS PROJECT IS PRESENT