Jean-Pierre Laffont (born 1935) is a French-American

photojournalist Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (suc ...

born in Algeria, and based in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, USA. He was the founding member of both Gamma USA and Sygma, which then became one of the largest and most influential photography agencies in the world. Sygma was acquired by the Corbis Corporation in 1999.

Biography

Born in

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

in 1935, Laffont attended high school and college in

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

, where he graduated in 1955. In 1959, he received his master's degree in Photography from Europe's prestigious School of Arts et Metiers in Vevey,

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. In 1960, Laffont graduated from Military Infantry Academy, in

Cherchell Cherchell () is a town on Algeria's Mediterranean coast, west of Algiers. It is the seat of Cherchell District in Tipaza Province. Under the names Iol and Caesarea, it was formerly a Roman colony and the capital of the kingdoms of Numidia ...

(Algeria), where he was a Press Officer, and then proceeded to serve in the French Army as a Commanding Officer in the

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

region in the Algeria War throughout April 1962. He then returned to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where, from 1962 to 1964, he began assisting photographers Sam Levin and Choura, renowned for their photographs of celebrities and movie stars. It was in this period of time that Laffont started to work in portraiture and fashion photography, and was hired as special photographer on movie sets for

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

in Rome. In 1965, he arrived in the United States and began his career as a

, and worked as a staff photographer for Status Magazine. In 1966, he married Eliane Lucotte and in 1970 they had a daughter, Stephanie, born in Nice (France), who is now a professional artist living in

. Laffont then became the first Foreign Correspondent for Gamma Press Images, and in 1970, with his wife Eliane Laffont, opened the U.S. office of Gamma Press Images agency. Laffont covered historical American events, such as the Civil Rights Movement, the Race Riots, the Vietnam War, the peace movement, as well as the gay and feminist movement. In 1973, Laffont was one of the co-founders of the Sygma Photo News agency. His work expanded to the coverage of international events in Japan,

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

, Africa, India, China,

the Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, Poland and the

U.S.S.R. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until it dissolved in 1991. During its existence, it was the largest country by are ...

During those years, deeply touched by the suffering endured by children, he, from 1970 to 1980, made a major reportage on

child labor Child labour is the exploitation of children through any form of work that interferes with their ability to attend regular school, or is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such exploitation is prohibited by legislation w ...

throughout the world. The photographs he brought back from those countries were the first global photo essay on

and the most eloquent and cruel testimonials. Jean-Pierre has won the most prestigious awards in photojournalism for this series, including the Overseas Press Club's Madeline Dane Ross Award and first prize in the

World Press ''World Press '' (Worldpress.org) is an independent, nonpartisan New York based magazine founded in 1974 and initially published by Stanley Foundation and Teri Schure, with an online edition which was launched in 1997. The headquarters of the ...

General Picture category. During the 80's, still photographing around the world, his work particularly focused on the U.S agricultural crisis, scientific research and world economy, mostly in Eastern Europe, the USSR, China, India and Third World countries. His photographs have been featured in major publications worldwide: ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'', ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...

'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', ''

Paris Match ''Paris Match'' () is a French-language weekly gossip magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features. ''Paris Match'' has been considered "one of the world's best outlets for photojournalism". ...

'', ''

Le Figaro Magazine ''Le Figaro Magazine'' is a French language weekly news magazine published in Paris, France. The magazine is the weekly supplement of the daily newspaper and has been in circulation since 1978. History The magazine is the first supplement of ...

'', ''

Stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. O ...

'', ''

Bunte ''Bunte'' (company's preferred spelling in capital letters) is a German-language weekly celebrity gossip magazine published by Hubert Burda Media. The first edition was published in 1948 under the name ''Das Ufer''. Under the leadership of Hub ...

'', '' Época'', ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'' in London and ''

Manchete Rede Manchete (; lit.: Headline Network; also known as TV Manchete or only Manchete) was a Brazilian television network that was founded in Rio de Janeiro on 5 June 1983 by the Ukrainian-Brazilian journalist and businessman Adolpho Bloch. The ...

'', his work has also gained high recognition through numerous awards. In 1999, Corbis acquired Sygma and Jean-Pierre Laffont was appointed General Director of Corbis Sygma in the U.S. In 2000, he left Corbis and was hired by

Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Inc. (HFM U.S.), originally known as CBS Publications, was a subsidiary of Hachette Filipacchi Médias (one of the world's largest magazine publishers), and was based in New York City. History It was formed in 1 ...

as General Manager of Gamma Press USA. Laffont currently resides in New York City.

Awards and honors

* 1979:

World Press Photo World Press Photo Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1955, the organization holds the annual World Press Photo Contest for press photography. Since 2011, World Press Photo has orga ...

: 3rd Prize, General News * 1980: First Prize: New York Newspaper Guild, for "Child Labor";

Overseas Press Club The Overseas Press Club of America (OPC) was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents. The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member, as was the war correspondent Peggy Hull. The club seeks to maintain ...

: Madeline Dane Ross Award, for originating the use of photography to raise awareness of child labor conditions around the world. * 1981:

Missouri School of Journalism The Missouri School of Journalism, housed under the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, Columbia, is one of the oldest formal journalism schools in the world. The school provides academic education and practical training in of journalis ...

First Prize; Special Recognition Award: World Understanding; World Press Photo: Honorable Mention, News Feature. * 1996:

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

(French National Order)

Shows and exhibitions

* 1996 – Visa pour l'Image (Perpignan, France)/ Retrospective * 2012 – Visa pour l'Image (Perpignan, France)/ projection of "Mon Algérie" * 2014 – Photographer's Paradise – Turbulent America 1960–1990, film – Visa pour l’Image, Perpignan, France * 2015 – Turbulent America, Maison Europeenne de la Photographie (MEP), Paris, France * 2015 – Photographer's Paradise – Foto Fusion: Cultural Center, Palm Beach, Florida, USA * 2016 – Turbulent America – Photo Biennale, Central Exhibition Hall Manege, Moscow, Russia * 2016 – Turbulent America, Tri Postal, Lille, France * 2016 – Turbulent America, Pingyao International Photography Festival, Pingyao, China * 2016 – Tumultueuse Amerique, Musee de L'Arsenal, Metz, France * 2016 – Amérique: Mythes et Légendes, Eglise Saint-Vincent, Merignac, France * 2017 – New York City Up and Down, Projection – Visa Pour l’Image, Perpignan, France * 2017 – Jean Pierre Laffont, Un Francais à New York – Gallerie de l’Instant, Paris, France * 2017–2018 – Turbulent America, Sous Les Etoiles Gallery, New York City, NY, USA. * 2018 – Laffont's Long March – Beaugeste Gallery, Shanghai, China * 2018 – New York Up and Down – Shenzhen Photo Festival, Shenzhen, China * 2018 – Jean Pierre Laffont New York Down and Out – Leica New York City, NY, USA * 2019 – Jean Pierre Laffont Turbulent America – Candiani, Mestre, Italy. * 2019 – Mes Stars en Amèrique – Les Grandes Recontres Salon de La Photo, Paris, France. * 2020 – Mes Stars en Amèrique – Galerie De L’Instant, Paris, France. * 2020 – Twenty Five Icons of America by Jean Pierre Laffont online show – Sous Les Etoiles Gallery, New York City, NY, USA.

Publications

Monographs

* 1976 – ''CB Bible, Porter Bibb'' (Doubleday) * 1981 – ''Women of Iron'' (Playboy) * 2008 – ''Jean-Pierre Laffont Foreign Correspondent'' (Editions C.D.P/France) * 2014 – ''Photographer's Paradise: Turbulent America 1960 – 1990'' (JP Laffont Photography/ Glitterati) * 2017 – New York City Up and Down / (Glitterati) * 2019 – Nos Stars en Amèrique Cartes postales de Jean Pierre Laffont / (Editions de La Martinière)

Contributor

* Contributions to various volumes of ''A Day in the Life Series'' (HarperCollins) ** 1986 – ''The Long March'' (Intercontinental) ** 1989 – ''Trois Jours en France''(Nathan/France) ** 1992 – ''America Then & Now'' (Cohen/ HarperCollins) ** 1999 – ''Les 100 photos du Siècle'' (Chêne) ** 2003 – ''America 24/7 in Manhattan'' (NY State) ** 2011 – ''The New York Times magazine: Photographs'' (Aperture Foundation) ** 2012 – ''20 Years, Limited Edition'' (CDP) ** 2013 – ''40 Ans de Photojournalisme: Generation Sygma''(Martinière/ France)

References

External links

*
Corbis: Jean Pierre Laffont
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laffont, Jean-Pierre Algerian photojournalists 1935 births Living people 21st-century Algerian people