CHIM rediscovered / CHIM retrouvé

Opening: 22nd of december 2012, 7 pm
Exhibition: december 22, 2012 through january 11, 2013

°Clair Galerie, Saint-Paul de Vence will show - as a counterpart to the retrospective offered by ICP/New York - a selection of vintage photographs by David Seymour-CHIM from December 22, 2012 until January 11, 2013.

David Seymour, better known under CHIM, is a legend amongst photographers. Born in Warsaw in 1911 into a Jewish family of publishers, CHIM was still called David Szymin. At the time he wanted to become a piano player. His encounter with the history of his era and with photography turned him into one of the most sensitive eyewitnesses of his time.

As the co-founder of the renowned agency Magnum, he observed and photographed major conflicts radically taking sides for the victims' point of view. He was killed in 1956 while covering the Suez war. His friend Henri Cartier-Bresson once said about Seymour: "Chim picked up his camera the way a doctor takes his stethescope out of his bag, applying his diagnosis to the condition of the heart. His own was vulnerable".

To rediscover CHIM means to observe his humanistic oeuvre as an essential historical testimony, a way to come to an understanding of the world. It also shows how the photographer has been using his art and instrument as a means of resilience.

"We are only trying to tell a story. Let the 17th-century painters worry about the effects. We've got to tell it now, let the news in, show the hungry face, the broken land, anything so that those who are comfortable may be moved a little". — David Seymour - CHIM

Clair Galerie, Saint-Paul de Vence montrera en écho à la rétrospective proposée par ICP/ New York une sélection de photographies vintage de David Seymour-CHIM du 22 Décembre 2012 au 11 Janvier 2013.

David Seymour mieux connu sous le pseudonyme de CHIM est une des figures légendaires de la photographie. Né à Varsovie en 1911 dans une famille juive d'éditeurs, CHIM s'appelait encore David Szymin et voulait devenir pianiste. Sa rencontre avec l'Histoire de son temps et la photographie allait faire de lui un des témoins les plus sensibles de son temps.

CHIM, co-fondateur de l'agence Magnum a observé et photographié les conflits en partageant de façon radicale le point de vue des victimes. Il fut tué en 1956 alors qu'il couvrait la guerre de Suez. Son ami Cartier-Bresson disait de lui "qu'il utilisait sa caméra comme un stéthoscope", alliant l'écoute du coeur à l'intelligence du regard.

Redécouvrir CHIM, c'est regarder cette oeuvre humaniste non seulement comme un témoignage historique essentielle à la compréhension du monde mais c'est aussi mieux saisir comment le photographe s'est servi de son art et de son instrument pour en faire une force de résilience.