Marie-Laure de Decker facts for kids
Marie-Laure de Decker (born August 2, 1947 – died July 15, 2023) was a famous French photographer. She was well-known for taking pictures in wars, like the Vietnam War. She also photographed conflicts in places such as Yemen, Chad, and South Africa. Besides war photos, Marie-Laure de Decker was also a great portrait photographer. She took pictures of many important French people.
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About Marie-Laure de Decker
Marie-Laure de Decker was born on August 2, 1947. This was in a place called Bône in French Algeria. Today, this city is known as Annaba, Algeria.
When she was 20 years old, Marie-Laure worked as a model. She met a photographer named Dominique Merlin. She saw his pictures from the Vietnam War documentary, The Anderson Platoon. This work inspired her a lot. She learned how to develop photos and became a photographer herself.
To start her career, she found artists she admired. These included Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp. She asked them if she could take their pictures. This helped her get noticed.
Her Work as a War Photographer
Marie-Laure de Decker began taking pictures in wars. She joined the Newsweek team in Saigon during the Vietnam War. After that, she covered conflicts in several other countries. These included Yemen, Chad, and South Africa.
She went to South Africa to photograph the country's racial conflict. There, she met Nelson Mandela, a very important leader. While in Chad, she spent a lot of time with the Wodaabe people. She liked working with them because they were not involved in the fighting. She wanted to save their culture through her photos.
Later Life and Career
In the 1990s, Marie-Laure de Decker moved to a home near Rabastens. She had visited this area as a child. In 2002, she held an exhibition of her photos of the city.
Marie-Laure de Decker married a lawyer named Thierry Lévy. They had two sons together. She worked for a photo agency called Gamma from 1971 to 2009. She passed away in Toulouse on July 15, 2023, at the age of 75.
Marie-Laure de Decker's Photography
Marie-Laure de Decker was known around the world for her war photography. Her pictures from the Vietnam War are especially famous. She always used Leica cameras for her work. She chose not to learn digital photography, finding it too complex.
Portraits of Famous People
Marie-Laure de Decker also took many portraits. These included many selfies of herself. She photographed many celebrities. She preferred taking pictures in wartime. She used the money from celebrity photos to pay for her trips abroad.
Some of the famous people she photographed include:
- Artists like Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp.
- Writers such as Philippe Soupault.
- Actors like Catherine Deneuve and Charlotte Rampling.
- Musicians such as Serge Gainsbourg.
- Important figures like Princess Caroline of Monaco and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.
See also
In Spanish: Marie Laure de Decker para niños
