THE GILLES CARON FOUNDATION DONATES 144 OF THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S PRINTS TO THE MUSEE DE L'ELYSEE The Musée de l'Elysée is proud to welcome into its collection 144 prints by the French photographer Gilles Caron. Donated by the Gilles Caron Foundation based in Geneva, this collection reflects the international events of the late sixties: Six Day War (Israel, 1967), Vietnam War (1967), May 68 in Paris, Biafra (Nigeria, 1968), Prague (Czechoslovakia, 1969) and the troubles in Northern Ireland (1969). The photojournalist carried out these series for the Gamma news agency which he co-founded notably with Raymond Depardon. Of the prints offered to the Musée de l'Elysée, some are reproduced in a single copy made from press contact sheets and negatives filed and preserved at the Gilles Caron Foundation. To mark this event, some of these prints and documentary films will be screened continuously in the Salle Lumières at the Musée de l'Elysée. GILLES CARON (NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE, FRANCE, 1939 - PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA, 1970) Gilles Caron was born in Paris in 1939. Having abandoned a career as a jockey, he became interested in painting and spent a year at the Ecole du Louvre before turning to photography. In 1967, he founded the Gamma news agency with Raymond Depardon, Hubert Henrotte, Jean Monteux, Robert Pledge and Hugues Vassal. Deeply moved by the experience of the Algerian war, inspired by the writings of Jean-Paul Sartre and the aesthetic of the ‘Nouvelle Vague', Caron repeatedly worked on obsessive patterns which became the symbols of his visual style. An interpreter of modern warfare, sensitive to the relationship between the civilian and the military, the photographer appeared as an exceptional witness to the political and social struggles of his time. THE GILLES CARON FOUNDATION The Gilles Caron Foundation aims at making the news archive of Gilles Caron available to the entire community of researchers, academics and the public. It also seeks to showcase the work of the photographer, especially through exhibitions and publications. It therefore wishes to underline the original role played by the photographer in the history of journalism and art.