"Une passion française"
Photographs from the Roger Therond collection

A collection…
Photographers and collectors: The Law

(The names of the different parts of the exhibition are indicated in italics)

Begun in 1960, Roger Therond's photography collection is one of the largest in the world. Its many thousands of prints, picked up in Paris flea markets, swapped for others, bought from collectors like Georges Sirot and André Duchesne, or acquired at auction sales and from international dealers, cover the entire history of the medium.

This exhibition focuses on 240 photographs organized around 15 themes which constitute both a tribute to French photography and a reflection of the collector's own passions.

The 'primitives' of the 1850s and Surrealism are two important themes in this exhibition, which showcases both famous and lesser-known photographers. In 1985, Roger Therond sold part of his collection to the Musée d'Orsay, including some outstanding pieces such as the daguerreotype by Baron Gros of a bas-relief from the Acropolis, or plates from the album made by the Duc de Chartres during his journey to the Orient. These pieces form part of the present exhibition.

Eight seascapes taken by Gustave Le Gray in Sète, where Roger Therond was born, constitute the prologue to the exhibition (L'Invitation au Voyage). These lyrical images of boats are reminiscent of the Grand Tour (Le Grand Tour), when first young 18th century aristocrats finishing their education, then romantic writers such as Chateaubriand, Gautier and Nerval, and finally photographers in the 1850s, would travel around the Mediterranean. Pictures by Flachéron, Baron Gros, Robertson and Salzmann reflect an itinerary that took them from Rome to Athens and then on to Constantinople and Jerusalem and finally Egypt. The Land of the Pharaohs was extensively documented by photographer-archaeologists who discovered great monuments still buried in the sands (L'Appel des Sables). The exhibition includes photographs by Teynard, Du Camp and Greene, as well as a series by Le Gray on Egypt that is shown here for the first time. This odyssey (Le Retour d'Ulysse) ends in the South of France, with ancient monuments photographed by Baldus, Bisson, Roman and Pècarrère.

In the 1850s, with the dawn of industrialisation, French cities underwent dramatic changes (Les Villes vers la Lumière). The new steel bridges in Paris were photographed by Le Gray, Baldus and Collard, while Durandelle recorded the building of the opera house, the emblem of the Second Empire. Spectacular changes to the townscape also took place in Marseille under Napoleon III, as shown in the photographs of Adolphe Terris.

The countryside, however, told a different story (La France Médiévale). Photographers recorded views of places where time seemed to have stood still: Le Gray for the mission héliographique, Humbert de Molard in Normandy, Furne in Brittany, Cuvelier in the Paris area and the Varin brothers in Champagne.

Photographers were called upon to celebrate the glories of the Second Empire (Gloire et Chute d'un Empire). Le Gray was commissioned by Napoleon to photograph the Imperial Guard on manœuvres at Chalons. Similarly, Charles Nègre commemorated the opening of the Imperial asylum in Vincennes. When the Imperial couple visited Chamonix, the young Bisson dedicated an album to them on the climbing of Mont Blanc. Le Gray took pictures of Napoleon III's fleet at Cherbourg. The toppling of the Vendome column, photographed by Braquehais, symbolised the end of Imperial splendour.

The increasing popularity of photographic portraits, both as a genre and as an industry, also gives us a picture of society in the 1850s. In Paris, actors like Sarah Bernhardt, Frédéric Lemaître and Debureau, the mime artist, were photographed in costume at the studios of Carjat and Tournachon (L'Homme dans sa Verité). The literary world is also recorded through portraits of Gautier, Dumas and Hugo. The Davanne and Nadar families posed for the camera, while in other studios, models displayed their feminine charms (A l'Ombre de l'Atelier). Lightly retouched stereoscopic daguerreotypes, having the double advantage of precision and depth, were designed for the most discerning customers. Several plates depicting two nude models from an album by Belloc provide an intimate glimpse of a studio session.

The first images from the 20th century in this exhibition may come as a surprise. They are of Paris by night, and were taken around 1900 not by a famous photographer but by the little-known Gabriel Loppé (Le Siècle Nous Salue). Still in Paris, Atget bridges the gap between the historic city and the birth of modernity. Germaine Krull and Florence Henri photographed such emblems of steel architecture as the Eiffel Tower and the transporter bridge in Marseille, exploring different ways of framing the image and experimenting with new forms. This evocation of the new century continues with a gallery of portraits of personalities from the world of the Arts (Séducteurs des années 20). Pierre Bonnard, James Joyce, André Breton, Gertrude Stein and Jean-Paul Sartre were photographed by Rogi André, Berenice Abbott, Man Ray and Cartier-Bresson. Photographs by Roger Parry, Brassaï, Kertész, Dora Maar, Boucher, Ubac, Bellmer and Molinier reflect the artistic vitality of the time (Un Bouquet Surréaliste).

The exhibition ends with a tribute to three artists (Trois Fascinations): Lartigue, whose success was assured by the photos he took at the beginning of the century; Man Ray, the emblematic artist of Surrealism; and Tabard, represented by a unique series of superimposed images and photogrammes that show him to be one of the great inter-war artists. Once again, this exhibition demonstrates that the role of the collector is both to confirm and to reveal.

Anne de Mondenard,
curator of the exhibition


The book

For the first time ever, Roger Therond, who is both the Director and the living 'eye' of the celebrated magazine Paris-Match, reveals part of his endless fascination with photography. He shares with us his tireless thirty-year search for the work of great photographers, from Baron Gros to Cartier-Bresson, from Edouard Baldus to Doisneau.

In his own words: "Is a collection a form of immortality? Certainly not! A collection is simply a second life that enables us to extend the first one, which is so short"

Through 250 vintage pictures organised around eleven themes, this great collector takes us on a fascinating tour of the masterpieces of the 19th and 20th centuries.

These photographs show us a world that no longer exists: period views of the monuments of Ancient Greece and Rome, of Constantinople and Jerusalem, of Paris and the port of Sète. The mythical treasures of Egypt were still buried under the sand. Paris, Marseille and other French towns were starting to undergo profound transformations thanks to huge new building plans, while time seemed to stand still in the tranquil French countryside.

Une Passion Française also reflects a powerful form of creative expression embraced by some of our most prestigious artists. The collection includes a fascinating glimpse of Lartigue's instantanés, Man Ray's visions and Tabard's superimpositions and photogrammes.

Une Passion Française (both the exhibition and the book) was made possible thanks to the support of the CCF.

Book Description:

Une Passion Française
Photographs from the Roger Therond collection
Editions Filipacchi/Maison Européenne de la Photographie
Bilingual text (English and French)
Cloth-bound with dustjacket
Format: 240 X 305 cm
250 photographs by the greatest French masters (1842/1871-1820/1960)
385 francs (58.69 euros)

On sale at the MEP bookshop