Félicitations, Monsieur Depardon!
Félicitations, Monsieur Depardon!
July 6, 2022
Raymond Depardon's life has brought together a number of professions – in addition to being a photographer and film maker, he has also been successful as a director, script writer, author and book producer. He has found a time and a place for everything in his life, so it is little wonder that he is now considered one of the most important chroniclers in France. His body of work reaches way beyond his homeland, with his travels taking him to many continents.
Depardon's story began in Villefranche-sur-Saône, a provincial village in southern France: it was there that he realised, early on, that taking over his parents' farm was out of the question. A camera turned out to be the best tool with which to begin an alternative chapter in his life. He began his career in Paris, when he was just 16, becoming first an apprentice, and then an assistant, to the well-established photo reporter Louis Foucherand. He also worked for the Dalmas Agency, and learnt to hold his own as a photographer for magazines and newspapers. In 1966, he co-founded the Gamma Agency. Gossip and boulevard journalism, however, represented only one area: Depardon also became a war reporter and witness to conflicts in Algeria, Indochina and Biafra. He received the Robert Capa Gold Medal, in 1973, for his reportage during the military coup in Chile; and the Pulitzer Prize, in 1977, for his work in Chad. In 1978, he became a member of the renowned photographer cooperative, Magnum. Starting in the late sixties, film work gained increasing importance in his career. Depardon began by filming documentaries; then, in the eighties, he moved on to include features. Depardon has published over 50 photo books, and produced dozens of movies. His exciting, multi-layered oeuvre invites us to discover new facets of this award-winning photographer and film maker.
Our hearty congratulations go to Monsieur Depardon – who is rarely seen without a Leica – on the occasion of his 80th birthday! (Ulrich Rüter)
Raymond Depardon's work is presented in a comprehensive portfolio in LFI issue 5/2022.
The exhibition Raymond Depardon / Kamel Daoud : Son œil dans ma main. Algérie 1961-2019 is on display until July 31, at the Institut du monde arabe, Paris
Image: Raymond Depardon with his Leica M6J, Paris 2003 © Raymond Depardon / Magnum Photos
Depardon's story began in Villefranche-sur-Saône, a provincial village in southern France: it was there that he realised, early on, that taking over his parents' farm was out of the question. A camera turned out to be the best tool with which to begin an alternative chapter in his life. He began his career in Paris, when he was just 16, becoming first an apprentice, and then an assistant, to the well-established photo reporter Louis Foucherand. He also worked for the Dalmas Agency, and learnt to hold his own as a photographer for magazines and newspapers. In 1966, he co-founded the Gamma Agency. Gossip and boulevard journalism, however, represented only one area: Depardon also became a war reporter and witness to conflicts in Algeria, Indochina and Biafra. He received the Robert Capa Gold Medal, in 1973, for his reportage during the military coup in Chile; and the Pulitzer Prize, in 1977, for his work in Chad. In 1978, he became a member of the renowned photographer cooperative, Magnum. Starting in the late sixties, film work gained increasing importance in his career. Depardon began by filming documentaries; then, in the eighties, he moved on to include features. Depardon has published over 50 photo books, and produced dozens of movies. His exciting, multi-layered oeuvre invites us to discover new facets of this award-winning photographer and film maker.
Our hearty congratulations go to Monsieur Depardon – who is rarely seen without a Leica – on the occasion of his 80th birthday! (Ulrich Rüter)
Raymond Depardon's work is presented in a comprehensive portfolio in LFI issue 5/2022.
The exhibition Raymond Depardon / Kamel Daoud : Son œil dans ma main. Algérie 1961-2019 is on display until July 31, at the Institut du monde arabe, Paris
Image: Raymond Depardon with his Leica M6J, Paris 2003 © Raymond Depardon / Magnum Photos