Biography
France , 1952
Jean-Gabriel Barthelemy is primarily a photojournalist. For thirty years, from 1972 to 2002, he was one of the major contributors to the famous Sipa news agency.
Born in Paris in the district of Les Halles, he drew an innate sense of resourcefulness from his childhood which was very handy as a paparazzo. His first scoop was the arrival of Liz Taylor at a very private Ball held for Baron and Baroness de Rothschild. He went to snap images of figures such as Princess Caroline de Monaco, Prince Charles, Lady Di, Maria Callas, and many more.
In 2002, extremely impressed by the Edward Gursky’s large format prints at the Beaubourg Museum in Paris, Barthelemy made a start of a new career, very much inspired by the Düsseldorf School.
Since then, he has worked with a large format Sinar camera and 8 x 10 film. His major series include a contemporary documentary on housing in a violent suburb around Paris, the Seysse prison, the Chateau de Versailles, and an ongoing project examining the growing artificiality of our environment.
Combining his involvment in current affairs with an artistic approach, Jean-Gabriel Barthelemy occupies a significant place in contemporary photography.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
-La Cité des 4000. Visa pour l’image, Perpignan, France, 2002.
-La Prison de Seysse. Visa pour l’image, Perpignan, 2003.
-Pour une Photographie Engagée. La Cité des 4000. Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF), 2006.
-Les moyens pour Agir (portraits pour l’INCA). Parc de la Vilette, Paris, 2008.
-La Cité des 4000. Galerie Polka, Paris, 2009.