95: Joyeux anniversaire, chère Sabine Weiss!

Just a few weeks ago you may well have come across Sabine Weiss visiting one of the many exhibitions, or eating at one of the great restaurants, during the photography festival in Arles. During the closing ceremony for the 50th Recontres de la Photographie, Sam Stourdzé, the Festival Director, paid homage to her on the stage of the amphitheatre; and as recently as last year she was the recipient of the Visa d'or d'honneur from Figaro magazine, at Visa pour l'Image. 95 years of age, and the “Grande Dame of French photographie humaniste” is still extremely active.

Though the Leica photographer (born in Switzerland in 1924) has now set her cameras aside, she is still very busy working on processing her archives and preparing exhibitions. Her days are always packed, and even at 95 years-old her attitude is that there is no question of taking a break to meditate on the past: “My wish in life has always been to finish whatever I have begun.” An endless task, considering the enormity of her body of work – an oeuvre that – as has long been decided – will be handed over to the Musée de l´Elyseé in Lausanne in 2022, when it moves to the Plateforme 10 museum district.

We wish you on-going energy and stamina, but, first of all, a wonderful birthday. Many happy returns, Sabine Weiss!

In LFI 3.2018 a Leica Classic portfolio was dedicated to Sabine Weiss. (Ulrich Rüter)