Raymond Depardon “Correspondance New-Yorkaise 2017”

French Institute Alliance Française

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The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF), New York’s premiere French cultural center, presents Correspondance New-Yorkaise 2017 by Pulitzer prize-winning photographer and director Raymond Depardon. This rare exhibition of Depardon’s work, specially commissioned for the FIAF Gallery and curated by François Hébel.

Raymond Depardon revisits his landmark 1981 Correspondance New-Yorkaise in a special commission for the FIAF Gallery. New photos taken daily from May 1 through 11, 2017 will be published in the Libération newspaper in France every day. They will be displayed in the FIAF Gallery alongside his original 1980s series, creating a rare portrait of the city across decades.

In 1981, Raymond Depardon’s La correspondance New-Yorkaise was first published in Libération. Composed of humorous, observational, photographic notes—and no topical news—the newspaper dedicated a full page to this correspondence every day for a month. It was a pivotal moment both in French photography and in Depardon’s career. La correspondance New-Yorkaise reflected the spirit of the “new journalism,” which fed on daily life and featured first-person, subjective writing.

36 years later, this major French photographer and filmmaker takes a new look at New York. Reflecting a recent evolution in his photographic approach, Depardon trades his 35mm Leica and black and white film for an 8x10 inch color chamber camera as he continues his observation of “downtime” in the city.

This exhibition takes place during the cycle of events celebrating 70 years of the Magnum Photos agency.