Raymond Depardon

Witnessing the World Through Silence and Light

Raymond Depardon, born in 1942 on a farm in Villefranche-sur-Saône, is one of the essential witnesses of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. An artist whose photographs and films move between reportage, autobiography and poetic observation. His work carries a quiet humanity and a deep sense of presence, revealing the world with tenderness, patience and an unwavering curiosity.

The Journey of a Restless Observer

Depardon’s path began on a family farm in Garet, where he first picked up a camera at twelve. By sixteen he was already working in colour, long before it became central to documentary practice. After leaving for Paris in 1958, he entered the world of news photography with the Dalmas agency, and co-founded the legendary Gamma agency in 1966. From there he travelled widely, reporting from regions marked by tension, conflict and political upheaval. Yet throughout his career, he retained a sense of doubt. “The photographer is filled with doubt. Nothing will soothe him,” he once wrote. This doubt would become a creative engine, pushing him to question the limits of reportage and the role of the photographer as witness.

01 | RAYMOND DEPARDON WITH HIS SON SIMON | © R. DEPARDON

04 | DEPARDON VISITING ALPA'S HEADQUARTER | @ ALPA

Across continents, themes and decades, Depardon’s work maintains a singular voice. He approaches reality without embellishment, allowing silence, doubt and vulnerability to guide his gaze. The result is photography that transcends reportage: images that feel both grounded in the present and quietly timeless.

As one critic wrote of La France, his geography is “unique, arbitrary, personal – born from the pain of framing and the joy of light.” In this tension lies Depardon’s lasting contribution: a vision of the world that is both deeply human and profoundly aware of its own limits.

Selected Exhibitions

2025 Magnum Gallery, Paris (Exhibition: Passages)
2025 Abbaye de La Chaise‑Dieu, La Chaise-Dieu, France
2024/25 Frac Bretagne, Rennes, France
2024/25 Les Champs Libres, Rennes, France
2022 Pavillon Populaire, Montpellier, France
2021/22 Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain (and others)
2020 Multiple venues (Exhibition: Rural)
2016 Mucem, Marseille, France (Retrospective, 50-year career)
2013 Grand Palais, Paris, France (Exhibition: Un moment si doux)
2000 Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris, France