On the eve of World War II, as the preparations for the 1936 Olympic Games were underway in Berlin, Parisian workers’ sport clubs were eagerly training for the event. While their wholehearted commitment to sports and politics is palpable, these young people were also enjoying their very first paid vacation. They can be seen in the stadium, in the woods, in the mountains, biking, racing, diving.
Among them was a witness: France Demay. An amateur of both sports and photography, this skilled worker spontaneously photographed his surroundings, with an innate sense of composition capturing these moments of happiness as a record of a time when one believed in a better life. His images show the enthusiasm of the working class as it begins to enjoy its newly acquired leisure time. His eye proves to be a magnificent witness to the social values that remain the building blocks of our society.
France Demay masterfully composed images that are at once moving, graphic, and symbolic, sharing with us moments brimming with happiness, freedom, and enthusiasm about a life that seemed full of promise. Beneath this happiness, captured with such freshness, one can also sense the political commitment in the dark hours of the rise of fascism.
Pierre-Jérôme Jehel / Françoise Agnelot
France Demay, Un parfum de Bonheur
From January 12 to March 4, 2017
Maison des arts et de la culture de Créteil
1 Place Salvador Allende
94000 Créteil
France
