Raymond Depardon

Raymond Depardon, born 6 July 1942 in Villefranche‑sur‑Saône, France, is a seminal French photographer, photojournalist and documentary filmmaker whose career spans more than six decades. From a young age he cultivated a keen eye on his family’s farm, beginning to take pictures at twelve before apprenticing with a local photographer‑optician and moving to Paris in 1958. In the early 1960s he entered the world of photojournalism, documenting upheavals in Algeria, Vietnam, Biafra and Chad, and in 1966 co‑founded the influential agency Gamma, later directing it from 1973. His affiliation with Magnum Photos as an associate in 1978 and full member in 1979 cemented his reputation for stark, human‑focused images that blend reportage with artistry. Depardon’s return to his parents’ farm in the 1990s produced a series of pastoral colour photographs, while his 1996 black‑and‑white road journal In Africa showcased his capacity to capture expansive landscapes with poetic clarity. In May 2012 he was entrusted with the official portrait of President François Hollande, underscoring his status as a photographer of national significance. Depardon’s filmmaking is equally distinguished; beginning with a short on Jan Palach in 1969, he has directed over sixteen films that blend cinéma vérité with direct‑cinema techniques. Notable titles include 1974, une partie de campagne, Reporters (1981), New York, N.Y. (1986), La captive du désert (1990) and Caught in the Acts (1994), the latter earning a César for best feature documentary and the Joris Ivens award. His works have been celebrated at Cannes, the César Awards, and international festivals, reflecting a career marked by relentless curiosity and a commitment to revealing the human condition through both still and moving images. Depardon also authored numerous publications—Paysans, Manhattan Out, Berlin among them—further consolidating his legacy as a chronicler of contemporary life across continents.