In 1981, Raymond Depardon’s La correspondance New-Yorkaise was published every day for one month in the Libération newspaper in France, signifying a rebound for French photography.
36 years later, this major French photographer and filmmaker is taking a new look at New York and creating one photograph per day from May 2-9 for an exhibition at FIAF (French Institute), opening May 11, 2017.
La correspondance New-Yorkaise July 1981: Marked up until that point by the humanism attributed to Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau, Willy Ronis and several others, and by the success of photographic agencies in the wake of Gamma (created in 1966 by the very same Raymond Depardon with, notably, Gilles Caron), French photography seemed to be ignoring a new photographic trend that was developing in the United States, a new distance, less tied to specific events and celebrities.
As an apprentice in a small-town studio at the age of 14, and employee of a Parisian photo agency at 18 where he covered starlets like wars, Raymond Depardon draws closer to a signature type of photography with his New York correspondence. Like the “new journalism” of the times, he was feeding on daily life while writing in the first person, without denying his subjectivity.
That summer, France experienced the euphoria of the left’s ascent into power. Having recently left Gamma to join the mythical Magnum agency, Raymond Depardon decided to prolong his stay in New York and send a photo a day to the Libération newspaper, a beacon of this new power.
This collaboration, composed of humorous, observational, photographic notes, turned into an exceptional event. For one whole month, the newspaper dedicated a full page to these photographs that had nothing to do with the news, but were still published punctually, day after day.
Turning to French photography: The influence on French photography was considerable. Ever since photographers established photographic protocols, they stopped reacting to incongruous occurrences as they arose. The press adopted this type of relationship with photography, and public commissions were organized, including the well-known Datar landscape commission.
New distance: More recently, Raymond Depardon once again evolved his photographic method to now work with an 8×10 inch large format colour camera, instead of a 35 mm Leica with black and white film.
This desire to change physical distance came to him during his long stay in New York in 1981. Notably, he dedicated six years (2004-2010) to photographing France backcountry, village squares, semi-urban spaces, turning his perspective on what is qualified as “down time,” which we no longer notice, and making it remarkable again.
Raymond Depardon accepted to bring this new approach to New York for an exhibition specially commissioned for FIAF, which will be created in real time, 36 years after the first Correspondance New-Yorkaise and 10 years after his last stay in the big apple. Working with an 8×10 inch color large format camera, he is producing a picture a day, which, at the end of 8 shooting days will constitute an exhibition in the FIAF’s gallery.
This exhibition event takes place during the cycle of celebrations for the 70 years of Magnum Photos.
François Hébel
François Hébel is an independent exhibition curator, former director of the Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie d’Arles. He lives and works in Paris.
Raymond Depardon, Correspondance New-Yorkaise 2017
May 12–July 1, 2017
FIAF
22 E 60th St
New York, NY 10022
USA
