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Robert Delpire was also involved in humanitarian work

Robert Delpire, who died on September 26th, 2017, will live on as one of the principal figures in the history of photography.

Books
With more than five hundred publications, Robert Delpire helped to give the photographic book the importance that it enjoys today. He was the friend and publisher of Lartigue, Brassaï, Cartier-Bresson, Capa and Bischof. It is thanks to him that « The Americans » by Robert Frank came into being. It is thanks to him that many contemporary photographers worldwide are to be found on the shelves of bookshops today, and he was one of the first to have recognised the value of anonymous photography.

Each of the books that he published is a unique and precious object, thanks to his qualities as a publisher and the importance that he gave to the text in his books. He also created collections which became works of reference : Neuf, L’Encyclopédie essentielle, Photocopie, Maestro… and especially Photo Poche, of course, which for the past thirty-five years has been the best-selling collection of books on photography in the world and which has initiated many generations of amateurs in the field of photography.

Exhibitions
Robert Delpire was one of the main actors in bringing photography into galleries, museums and public places and was responsible for more than two hundred exhibitions in France and abroad. Having established the first proper photographic gallery in Paris, “13 rue de l’Abbaye”, he founded the National Centre for Photography which he ran for fifteen years, setting up exhibitions in museums throughout Europe, America and Asia.

Robert Delpire was also a major publicist (he produced famous campaigns for Citroën, Habitat, Cacharel…) and he produced films as different as Corps profond or Polly Maggoo.

And humanitarian work
What is less well known is that Robert Delpire supported numerous causes and helped many photographers who were dedicated to working on social problems, whether they were about society’s outcasts, refugees, victims or the sick…
He helped all the humanitarian organisations who sought his support: Amnesty, Reporters Without Frontiers, les petits frères des Pauvres, Pour que l’Esprit vive and more specifically the FAIT ET CAUSE gallery of which he was artistic director since its creation in 1997 up until 2016.
He created books and exhibitions for all those organisations, with his characteristic talent, efficiency and feeling.

This exhibition constitues a hommage to « Robert Delpire, humanitarian ».