Fondation Carmignac, partner of the “50 ans dans l'œil de Libé” exhibition
From November 7, 2023 to February 18, 2024, the Archives nationales in Paris will be hosting the exhibition 50 ans dans l'œil de Libé (50 years in the eye of Libé), presenting some of the iconic images from the newspaper's history, with the support of the Foundation.
20 October 2023
Anti Le Pen protest place de la Nation in Paris, April 29, 2002. Courtesy Agence Vu' © Guillaume Herbaut
Chosen among the abundant iconographic production of the daily newspaper Libération, which celebrates its fiftieth anniversary in 2023, the photos on display make up the film of a memory that is both intimate and collective. The exhibition invites visitors to take a stroll, through the eyes of Libé, photographers and picture editors, revealing behind-the-scenes images, their context and their secrets.
Founded in February 1973 under the impetus of Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July, Libération has been a pioneer in producing photographs, which are at the heart of its editorial line, as evidenced by the “art of the front page”, the newspaper's inimitable trademark. Over five decades, Libération has produced tens of thousands of articles and photographs. From the mobilization on the Larzac plateau to the election of François Mitterrand, to the war in Ukraine... Libé tells the world's story in images, offering a singular and unrivalled space for expression to hundreds of men and women who have shaped a certain idea of press photography. An Author photography , at the service of the news, with a single watchword: break the codes. Eight large-format front pages and 48 press photographs, selected from among tens of thousands, are presented chronologically, showcasing a newspaper that remains a laboratory for experimentation, or, in the words of Serge July, “an immense territory in perpetual expansion”.
To mark this anniversary, Libération has chosen to donate most of its photographic archives to the Archives nationales, in order to preserve the most precious part of its documentary heritage, and to give the public a wider access to it. This treasure trove of images, a significant proportion of which have never been seen before, represents over 500,000 photographic prints, divided into as many thematic and geographical folders that outline the contemporary history of France and the world, at the crossroads of two centuries. These visual archives not only reflect the newspaper's political and aesthetic orientations, but also its decisive influence in the ecosystem of media photography, and its unprecedented support for photographers, through its commissions of entire reportages. The arrival of Libération's photographic archives at the Archives Nationales marks a shift from a journalistic temporality to the long time frame of history. This collection joins the thirty-two fonds from press organs, agencies, newspaper managers and journalists, such as those of Le Petit Parisien and Le Parisien libéré, and the photographic department of the daily Le Monde, also donated to the Archives nationales in 2020.
Free admission Archives nationales 60 rue des Francs-Bourgeois 75003 Paris Cour d'honneur Metro: Hôtel-de-Ville (line 1), Rambuteau (line 11), Arts et Métiers (line 3). Bus: lines 29 and 75, “Archives-Haudriettes” or “Archives-Rambuteau” stops. Open Monday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Tuesdays, December 25 and January 1
