Robert Delpire facts for kids
Robert Delpire (born January 24, 1926 – died September 26, 2017) was a very important person in the world of art and photography. He was a publisher, editor, curator (someone who organizes art shows), film producer, and graphic designer. He lived and worked in Paris, France. Robert Delpire was especially interested in documentary photography, which is photography that shows real life and events.
Delpire was the main editor for a cultural magazine called Neuf. He published many books about photography, illustrations, and graphic art through his companies, Éditions Delpire and Photo Poche. The Photo Poche series is known as one of the most successful photography book collections ever. These books have helped many generations learn about photography. Delpire was the first to publish several famous photography books. These include Les Américains (1958), also known as The Americans by Robert Frank, which is considered one of the most important photography books of the 20th century. He also published Les Gitans (1975), or Gypsies, by Josef Koudelka, another very famous photography book.
He was also the director of the Centre national de la photographie (National Center of Photography) and had his own art gallery called Galerie Delpire. His company, Delpire Productions, made several films, including Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? (1966), directed by William Klein. In the 1960s, he was also a key figure in advertising as a graphic designer with his company, Delpire Werbung.
Robert Delpire received many awards for his work. He won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Centre of Photography (ICP) and the Centenary Medal from the Royal Photographic Society. His Photo Poche collection also won the Prix Nadar and an ICP Infinity Award. Delpire and photographer Sarah Moon together won The Cultural Award from the German Society for Photography (DGPh). Many of the books he edited and published, and the films he produced, also received important awards.
A special exhibition called Delpire & Co. showed his work. It was displayed at the Rencontres d’Arles festival in France, at the Maison européenne de la photographie in Paris, and then in four different places in New York at the same time.
Contents
Life and Work of Robert Delpire
Early Life and First Publications
Robert Delpire was born in Paris, France, on January 24, 1926. When he was a medical student, he became the main editor of a magazine called Neuf (Nine). This magazine was a cultural review for doctors. Neuf often featured photographs by famous artists like Brassaï, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau, Izis, Willy Ronis, and Robert Frank. Nine issues of Neuf were published between 1950 and 1953.
Delpire also published three photography books under a short-lived publishing name called Huit (Eight). These books included Les Parisiens tels qu’ils sont (Parisians as They Are, 1954) by Doisneau, and Les Danses à Bali (Dances in Bali, 1954) by Cartier-Bresson. The book by Cartier-Bresson was the start of a long working relationship between Delpire and his friend. The third book was Le Village des Noubas (The Village of the Nubas, 1955) by George Rodger.
Starting Delpire & Co.
In the mid-1950s, Robert Delpire started his own publishing company in Paris called Delpire & Co. This company still publishes books today under the name Éditions Delpire. They have published works by many famous photographers, including Cartier-Bresson, Lartigue, Brassaï, Doisneau, and Frank.
Delpire & Co. also published a series of books about culture called Encyclopédie Essentielle. In 1957, the fifth book in this series was the very first publication of Robert Frank’s Les Américains (The Americans). This book was a huge step for photography. It changed how photography could tell stories and what it could show. Many people believe it is the most important photography book of the 20th century. Delpire's edition of The Americans was special because it included writings by famous authors like Simone de Beauvoir and John Steinbeck. Delpire placed these texts on the page opposite Frank’s photographs. The Encyclopédie Essentielle series also included Les Allemands (The Germans, 1963) by René Burri.
Children's Books and Advertising
Delpire & Co. also published books for children with their series called Dix sur Dix (Ten Out of Ten). They worked with talented illustrators like André François and Alain Le Foll. The first book in this series was Crocodile Tears (1955) by André François. Delpire & Co. was also the first French publisher of Maurice Sendak's famous book Where the Wild Things Are (called Max et les Maximonstres in French, 1967).
In 1955, Delpire created the look and feel for L'ŒIL magazine and was its artistic director for eight years.
Robert Delpire also ran an advertising agency called Delpire Publicité / Delpire Werbung (Delpire Advertising). They had big clients like Citroën (a car company) and L’Oréal (a beauty company). For about ten years, starting in the mid-1950s, Delpire and his partner Claude Puech created sales brochures and posters for Citroën. They used work from photographers like Helmut Newton and Sarah Moon, as well as illustrators, painters, and typographers. Delpire Werbung also made TV commercials for Citroën.
Gallery and Film Production
In 1963, Delpire opened Galerie Delpire in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris. This gallery showed photographs and books that Delpire & Co. had published.
Through his film company, Delpire Productions, Robert Delpire produced several films. Some of the most notable ones were made by the photographer and filmmaker William Klein, including Qui êtes vous, Polly Maggoo? (Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?).
Delpire also created a creative studio and publishing house called Idéodis.
Leading the National Center of Photography
In 1982, the French arts minister Jack Lang chose Robert Delpire to be the director of the Centre national de la photographie (National Center of Photography). This center is now known as Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume. While he was director until 1996, he organized many exhibitions. He also created a collection of small, softcover pocket-sized books called Photo Poche. There are hundreds of these books about different photographers and photography topics. These books are now published by Actes Sud. Liz Jobey from the Financial Times newspaper called them "the most successful series of photography monographs ever published." She said these books "have introduced successive generations to photography."
Delpire was also the director of the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, which supports the work of the famous photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. At the time of his death, Delpire was still on its advisory board.
Robert Delpire was married to the photographer Sarah Moon.
He passed away on September 26, 2017, in Paris, at the age of 91.
Films Produced by Delpire
Robert Delpire's company, Delpire Productions, made several films. Here are some of them:
- Cassius le Grand (Cassius the Great, 1964) – a short film directed by William Klein.
- Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo? (Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?, 1966) – directed by William Klein.
- Flagrants Délits – a 38-minute film about Henri Cartier-Bresson.
- Corps Profond (1960) – a 17-minute short film directed by Igor Barrère and Étienne Lalou.
- Muhammad Ali: The Greatest (1969) – directed by William Klein.
Films Directed by Delpire
Delpire himself directed parts of a documentary series called Contacts (1989–2004). He directed a 14-minute episode about Koudelka and another about Cartier-Bresson.
Exhibitions Related to Delpire's Work
Major Exhibitions of Delpire's Work
- Delpire & Cie = Delpire & Co.: This big exhibition showed Delpire's work. It was shown at the Rencontres d’Arles festival in France from July 7 to September 13, 2009. Then it moved to the Maison européenne de la photographie in Paris from October 28, 2009, to January 24, 2010. Later, it was shown in four different places in New York at the same time in 2012.
- A Tribute to Robert Delpire: This exhibition honored Delpire by showing the work of photographers like Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander, Josef Koudelka, Duane Michals, and Paolo Roversi. It was held at the Pace/MacGill Gallery in New York from May 10 to June 16, 2012.
Awards and Recognition
Awards Robert Delpire Received
- 1995: Centenary Medal from the Royal Photographic Society.
- 1997: Infinity Award: Lifetime Achievement award from the International Centre of Photography.
- 2007: The Cultural Award from the German Society for Photography (DGPh), shared with Sarah Moon.
Awards for Books Published by Delpire
Many books published by Delpire received the Prix Nadar, a famous French photography award:
- 1955: Japon = Japan (1954) by Werner Bischof.
- 1960: Afrique by Emil Schulthess.
- 1978: Gitans la Fin du Voyage = Gypsies by Josef Koudelka.
- 1984: The Photo Poche collection from Centre National de la Photographie.
- 1999: End Time City by Michael Ackerman.
- 2008: 1 2 3 4 5 by Sarah Moon.
The Photo Poche collection also won the Infinity Award for Publication from the International Centre of Photography in 1985.
Awards for Films Produced by Delpire
- Cassius le Grand won the Grand Prix du Festival de Tours.
- 1967: Who Are You, Polly Magoo? won the Prix Jean Vigo.
See also
In Spanish: Robert Delpire para niños
