Raymond Depardon

In Gallery 3, some fifty photographs by Raymond Depardon from the Pinault Collection highlight his work dedicated to the French landscape.

A major figure in the history of photojournalism, Raymond Depardon is honoured in Gallery 3 of the museum as part of the exhibition « Remember Me  ».

His series entitled « La France  », dedicated to the French landscape, evolving along roads, dwellings, shops, and natural environments, is presented here through some fifty images belonging to the Pinault Collection.

From the 1980s, Raymond Depardon (born in 1942) undertook a long-term project devoted to France, in a documentary approach similar to that of the American photographer Walker Evans, whose work he deeply admired.

Aboard his van, equipped with a large format camera on a tripod, Depardon methodically travelled through French territory, limiting himself to a single image per location to slow down his gaze and observe with precision.

He notably photographed sub-prefectures, these intermediate spaces neither entirely urban nor totally rural, long absent from traditional representations of the French landscape.

This series entitled « La France  » is part of a documentary tradition that sometimes borders on the idea of typology, a genre that has become central in the history of contemporary photography.

Yet, far from any analytical coldness, Raymond Depardon's images remain profoundly human. Behind their apparent simplicity emerge a discreet humour, an attention to everyday details, a great respect for places, and genuine empathy for those who inhabit them.

This is the strength of his work: to succeed in transforming a methodical observation of the territory into a sensitive and accurate portrait.

Founder of the Gamma agency, a member of Magnum, Raymond Depardon is a key figure in the documentary and photojournalism scene in France and internationally.

Through the acuity of his gaze, his ability to « scrutinise  », as well as his freedom of action, Depardon demonstrates great virtuosity.