West Meets East: Retrospective Exhibition of Marc Riboud’s Photography Kicked off in the Hunan Museum
On the afternoon of September 25, the opening ceremony of West Meets East: Retrospective Exhibition of Marc Riboud’s Photography was held in the Art Hall on the first floor of the Hunan Museum. This exhibition is organized by the Hunan Museum and the Musee National des Arts Asiatiques- Guimet, co-organized by the Association Les amis de Marc Riboud, Ambassade de France en Chine and Institut francais de Chine. The exhibition is free to the public in the No.3 special exhibition hall on the third floor of Hunan Museum from September 26 to December 10.
On the ceremony, Duan Xiaoming, director of the Hunan Museum, Zoé Barthélémy, representative of the Association Les amis de Marc Riboud, Yan Xi, deputy director of the Cultural Heritage of Hunan, Bai Yutang, French Ambassador to China, Qiu Aihua, the first-class inspector of the Office of Foreign Affairs Commission of CPC Hunan Provincial Committee, delivered speeches successively. Hu Jianyi, Consul General of France in Wuhan, Fei Guoliang, director of the French Institute in Beijing, Alain Julia, nephew of Marc Riboud, Xiong Hanquan, vice chairman of the Hunan Photographers Association, as well as colleagues from relevant museums and institutions inside and outside Hunan Province, members of the leadership team and curatorial team of the Hunan Museum, representatives of photographers inside and outside Hunan Province, and representatives of news media attended the opening ceremony.
This exhibition selects 118 pieces/sets of classic photographic works by Marc Riboud from the collection of the Musee National des Arts Asiatiques- Guimet, including the valuable photos taken by Marc during his more than 20-times visits to China from 1957 to 2010. With Marc’s acute instinct, unique artistic insight and abundant photographic language, he captured the real pictures of various classes of Chinese society, and objectively introduced the huge transformation of history and society in China from 1950s to 2010 to the West. Marc’s photographic works not only have extremely high artistic value but also monumental historical significance. His works have witnessed great historical changes in China, many classic moments have become the epitome of China in the 20th century.
As Marc Riboud said, "The countries I love are like my friends. I like to see them again and understand their development and changes. Therefore, I often return to China. Everything here is developing faster than in other places. Even a careful person can see the eternity of things under this restless appearance."
Artist
Marc Riboud, a famous French photographer, was born in Lyon, France in 1923. He took his first photos1937. At the age of 29, he became a photographer. In Paris, he met Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Capa, and at their invitation he joined the Magnum Photos agency.
After living in the UK for one year, he embarked on a long journey. His first destination was Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, then came the Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal, finally he arrived in Kolkata, India.The journey took a whole year. In 1957, he traveled to China for the first time. In 1958, he lived in Japan for several months.
In the early 1960s, he photographed Algerian and African Independence Movement, and he visited former Soviet Union for several times. Since 1979, he has been shuttling between China and other places continuously, he recorded the tremendous changes of Chinese society and developed a deep connection with Huang Shan. Also, he visited Angkor monuments in Cambodia many times, and photographed in Turkey and France.
Between 1957 and 2010, Marc Riboud visited China for more than 20 times, China was the country that Riboud photographed the most. He observed the changes in Chinese society with passion, “Observing is the best way to know China”, this mindset drove him to shuttle between China and other places again and again. While photographing, Riboud believed that China is full of beauty, surprising and endless inspirations. His records of China’s pivotal history over 50 years have become precious witness that era.
Intuitive, insightful, elegant and vivid, his works are always beautifully composed with a natural sense of geometry. As Martin Parr, former president of Magnum Photos agency, said, "Riboud is one of the few photographers who combine the worlds of photojournalism and art.
Marc Riboud was a world-renowned photographer and former President of the European Division in Magnum Photos agency. His works were published in prestigious magazines such as Life Magazine, National Geographic, and Paris Match. They were also exhibited in a number of prestigious museums and galleries around the globe. He received numerous awards including the prize from the Overseas Press Club, the International Center of Photography's Infinity Award in New York, the Leica Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Sony World Photography Awards.
Introduction
Part 1: Photos of Europe Taken at His Early Career
Marc Riboud got his first camera at the age of 14, and as he grew older, his passion for photography deepened. At the age of 29, he decided to give up his stable job as an engineer and devote himself to photography. In 1953, when he was 30 years old, he left Lyon and traveled to Paris where he met Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Capa, the founders of Magnum Photos agency. The famous photograph “Painter on the Eiffel Tower" taken in Paris and published in Life Magazine, was his first published photograph, and this hugely successful photo led to his entry into the internationally renowned Magnum Photos agency. He then traveled to Yugoslavia, his first trip abroad, and in 1954 he took Robert Capa's advice and spent a year in England, where he took a large number of photographs in London and Leeds, many of which were masterpieces.
Part 2: Photos Taken on His Journey to the East
As early as his teenage years, Marc Riboud had thoughts of venturing away from home, traveling to unfamiliar places and taking photographs in peace were what he had always dreamed of, and the career as a photographer made his wish come true. In the fall of 1955, Marc Riboud embarked on a long journey alone. In a second-hand Land Rover he bought from George Rodger (one of the co-founders of Magnum Photos agency), Riboud left Europe and set off eastwards to explore the vast and mysterious world of the Orient, traveling through Turkey, lran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal and finally reached India. He traveled at his own pace, photographing places and people along the way, and kept in close contact with Henri Cartier-Bresson in France through letters. With the help of Count Stanislas Ostrorog, the French ambassador to India and Nepal, Marc Riboud eventually obtained a visa to China. After his interviews and photographing ended in China, he went to Japan and arrived there in 1958.
Part 3: Photos Featuring the World of Turbulence
From the 1960s to the 1980s, tensions between the two camps led respectively by the United State sand the Soviet Union intensified. National liberation movements in Asia, Africa, and Latin America were thriving, and many colonies were pushing for independence. In the face of the turbulent international developments, Marc Riboud, out of the sensitivity of his profession, always managed to be at the scene of the events, including Algeria’s Independence Movement, the Cuban Missile Crisis, “May 68 riots, Vietnam War, Anti-Vietnam War Demonstration in Washington D.C., Watergate Scandal, lran' s lslamic Revolution, and so on. He took many photos of these events and one of his most famous photos was the “The young girl with a flower", the dark and out-of-focus soldiers holding bayonets, in sharp contrast with the girl holding a flower, which was very thought-provoking. Marc Riboud's photos taken during this period not only recorded moments in history, but also captured people’ s lives and feeling during the turbulent times. Through these photographs, we can get a glimpse of the reality of historical events and understand people’s desire for peace and freedom in the shadow of wars or conflicts.
Part 4: Photos Featuring Changes in Modern China
Marc Riboud was one of the earliest Western photographers allowed to enter People's Republic of china after its founding in 1949. Since 1957, he visited China more than twenty times, and between 1979 and 2010, he traveled there almost every year, making China the country that he photographed the most. From the urban areas to the rural areas and from factories to schools, he traveled across the whole country and explored its mysteries. His photos featured various subjects, including bustling urban scenes, peaceful rural landscapes busy workers and relaxed citizens. With his keen intuition, unique artistic perspective and remarkable skills, he captured the reality of Chinese society at different levels, and presented to the Western world the great changes in China from the 1950s to the 2010s. His photographs were not only of high artistic value, but also of great historical significance. They witnessed the great changes in China, and many of those historic moments epitomized the era of China in the 20th century.
Exploration
Background
The year 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France and the "China-France Year of Culture and Tourism", making it an extraordinary year for China-France relations. This year, hundreds of themed activities covering multiple fields such as performing arts, visual arts, cultural heritage, and tourism promotion between China and France under the theme of the "China-France Year of Culture and Tourism" are being carried out one after another. On this important celebratory occasion, the Hunan Museum, in collaboration with the Musee National des Arts Asiatiques- Guimet, is holding the "West Meets East:Retrospective Exhibition of Marc Riboud’s Photography". This exhibition is also an important visual art project of the "2024 Croisements Festival - Special Presentation for the 60th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and France".
“Croisements Festival”
For 19 years, the Croisements Festival has always adhered to its original intention: transcending national and disciplinary boundaries, converging and colliding. Now, the Croisements Festival is firmly rooted in China's cultural soil and has successfully established an artistic dialogue between the two countries and continuously updated the forms of dialogue.
A Unique Landscape
As the first foreign art festival in China and the largest French art festival outside France, the Croisements Festival has established a distinct identity over the years with its highly ambitious and innovative artistic choices, promoting renowned or avant-garde artists and works in the fields of visual arts, performing arts, music, film, literature, and speculation.
Highlighting the diversity of culture and art
The Croisements Festival focuses on distinctive artists who strive to create cross-disciplinary works. What they have in common is that they raise questions about the society in which they live. The eclectic projects present the diversity of art in various fields, unfolding a popular and ambitious panoramic view of art.
Renowned partner institutions
The Croisements Festival is backed by renowned partner institutions that are the sources of excellent projects. Hundreds of Chinese and French cultural institutions have accompanied the Croisements Festival since its establishment, making high-quality exchanges and dialogues possible.
The exhibition is open to the public for free in the No.3 Exhibition Hall on the third floor of the Hunan Museum from September 26, 2024 to December 10, 2024. Visitors can log in to the official WeChat account or Alipay mini-program of the Hunan Museum to make reservations.
