BIOGRAPHY
Born French in Algeria on January 29, 1935. Went to high school and college in Morocco and graduated in 1955. Attended art school and in 1959 received a Masters degree in Art and Photography from the photo school “Arts et Metiers” in Vevey, Switzerland, the prestigious photo school in Europe.
1957
One year in Paris as the studio assistant to Sam Levin and Choura, famous celebrity photographers.
1960/62
Algeria: Graduated from the Cherchell Infantry Academy and served in the French Army during the Algeria War for which he he received an award for his humanitarian efforts.
1962/64
Returned to Paris and became a portrait and fashion photographer and worked as special photographer on movie sets for MGM in Rome.
1965/68
Arrived in the United States, was briefly a staff photographer for Status Magazine and started freelancing as a photojournalist.
1966
Married to Eliane Lucotte. (1970: They have a daughter: Stephanie born in Nice, France)
1969
Became the first Foreign Correspondent for the Gamma Agency and founded the US bureau of Gamma with his wife Eliane. As a photojournalist he covered the major American events of the 60’s, such as the Civil Rights Movement, the Race Riots, the Viet-Nam war, the political campaigns, the peace movement, the Olympics, the White House etc..
1973
Co-Founder of Sygma Photo News with his wife Eliane Laffont.
In the 70’s Was assigned to cover all major events in the world especially in Asia, Africa, Central and North America.
During those years, deeply touched by the suffering children endured he decided to do a grand reportage on child labor throughout the world. The photographs he brought back from those countries are the most eloquent and cruel of testimonials, and the first global photo essay on child labor. For this, he was awarded “The Madeline Ross Award” and the World Press Award.
In the 80’s JPL has covered many feature stories around the world, particularly on world economy mostly in Eastern Europe, the USSR, China, India and Third World countries.
His work has appeared in major publications worldwide, including Time, Newsweek, New York Times, Paris Match, Figaro Magazine, Stern, Bunte, Epoca, London Sunday Times Magazine, Manchete.
1996
Honored with the National French Order of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres.
1999
Corbis acquired Sygma, and JP Laffont was appointed General Director of Corbis Sygma in the US and from 2000 to 2002 he was General Manager of Gamma Press USA, Inc.
AWARDS
First Prize: New York Newspaper Guild, photo Magazine for his Child Labor story.
Oversea Press Club: “Medeline Ross Award” for being the first photographer to bring attention to the condition of child labor around the world.
World Press ( First Prize: General Picture category)
First Prize University of Missouri, School of Journalism.
Special recognition: “World Understanding Award”
He was awarded the French National order: “Chevalier des “Arts & Lettres” (1996)
Photographer’s Paradise – Turbulent America 1960-1990
PDN’s Best Photo Book 2015 & Lucie Award 2014 Best Publisher
REPRESENTATION
JP is represented in the US by Sous Les Etoiles Gallery.
EXHIBITIONS
1996
Retrospective of his life work at photojournalism festival: “Visa pour l’Image”, Perpignan, France
2012
Visa pour l’Image, Perpignan, France, “My Algeria”
2015
Exhibition Turbulent America at “La Maison Europeenne de la Photographie” (MEP), Paris, France
2016
“Turbulent America” at Photo Biennale, Central Exhibition Hall Manege, Moscow, Russia
“Turbulent America” at Tri Postal, Lille, France
“Turbulent America” Pingyao International Photography Festival, Pingyao, China
“Turbulent America” Musee de L’Arsenal, Metz, France
September 27, 2016 – November 27, 2016
“Amérique: Mythes et Légendes” Eglise Saint-Vincent, Merignac, France
November 19th, 2016 – January 22, 2017
2017
Sous Les Etoiles presented Jean Pierre’s Laffont work at AIPAD, New York City, USA
March 30th-April 2nd, 2017
Show at Galerie De L’Instant, Paris
September to November, 2017
Turbulent America Show at Sous Les Etoiles Gallery in NY, USA.
From November, 2017 – January 2018.
2018
Laffont’s Long March – Beaugeste Gallery, Shanghai, China. June 2018.
New York Up and Down – Shenzhen Photo Festival, Shenzhen, China. June 2018.
Jean Pierre Laffont New York Down and Out – Leica Store New York, NY, USA. November- December 2018
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1976 “CB Bible” – Doubleday Dolphin Book Publisher
1981 “Women of Iron” – Playboy Publisher
Contribution to the books “A day in the life” – Collins Publishers
1983 “A day in the life of Hawaii”1984
1984 “A day in the life of Canada”
1985 “A day in the life of Japan”
1986 “A day in the life of United States”
1987 “A day in the life of Spain”
1987 “A day in the life of USSR”
1989 “A day in the life of China”
1990 “A day in the life of Italy”
1991 “A day in the life of Ireland”
1992 “A day in the life of Hollywood”
1986 “The Long March” – Intercontinental Press –
. 50th anniversary of Mao Tse Toung historical march
1989 “Three Days in France” – Nathan – France
1992 “America Then and Now” – Cohen Publishers, Inc. – HarperCollins
1999 “The 100 photos of the century” – Editions du Chêne
2003 “America 24/7 in Manhattan” – NY State book
2008 “Jean-Pierre Laffont Foreign Correspondent” – Editions C.D.P. – France
2011 “The New York Times Magazine: Photographs” – Aperture Foundation –
2013 “40 years of photojournalisme Generation Sygma” – La Martinière – France
2014 “Photographer’s Paradise: Turbulent America 1960-1990” – Glitterati
2017 “New York City Up And Down” – Glitterati
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- St Louis/St Jude area, Near Montreal, PQ, Canada. Febrary 13 1978. JP Laffont and his Renault 5 during pre-election province election campain.
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- San Francisco, California – January 1986. JP Laffont taking pictures of San Francisco for the anniversary of the 1906 big earthquake. Photograph courtesy of Phil Schermeister.
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- Courthouse, NYC, April 29th 1974: Former Attorney General John N. Mitchell and ex-Commerce Secretary Maurice H. Stans were acquitted of criminal charges involving financier Robert L. Vesco’s secret $200,000 contribution to President Nixon’s reelection campaign. Courtesy of Chris Little
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- November 2, 1975. Luanda, Angola. San Paolo Stadium. Young MPLA pioneer preparing for the independence day.
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- Region of Huntsville, AL – December 6th and 7th 1980. There’s a camp of Special Forces of the KKK. We are a small group of journalists invited to witness their training Deep in a forest of Alabama, bordering Tennessee, training ground for the Ku Klux Klan’s secret army.
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- November 1976, in Plains, Georgia. JP Laffont spent one month in Plains, Georgia to illustrate the place where the president Jimmy Carter came from. Here, photograph in front of Jimmy Carter presidential campaign headquarter with his car: Renault 5.
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- Sygma, New York City. Circa 1986. Selfportrait of JP Laffont with his Macintosh Plus computer.
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- Mont Rushmore. SD, Friday May 2, 1986. Advertisement from Kodak for the new Kodachrome 200.
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- Brooklyn, New York City, NY – Summer of 1966. Jean-Pierre Laffont spends time with the kids from the Ghetto.
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- October 3, 1986. Dallas, Texas. JP Laffont outside a car dealer, who is selling all the Rolls Royce that belonged to the leader of the Rajneesh, Krishna Deva.
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- April 22, 1970, New York City, New York. JP Laffont at the 1st Earth Day parade. Launched by environmental activist Denis Hayes, the 1st Earth Day drew a crowd of more than one million. Now, Earth Day is an annual event held worldwide with more than 192 countries participate, to show support for environmental protection.
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- Washington, DC. May 9th 1970. More than 100,000 students stand in and around the Reflecting Pool near the Washington Monument, demonstrating against the recent violence used to breakup a Vietnam War protest at Kent State University. Four Kent State students were killed, and many others injured, when members of the National Guard fired tear gas and rifles into crowds of student demonstrators who were protesting the Nixon administration’s expansion of the Vietnam War into Cambodia.
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- Februray 15 1981, Mirchpur (Haryana), India. The balloonists Maxie Anderson and Don Ida crashed. They left Luxor, Egypt 2 days before. JP Laffont was following the flight around the world. The picture shows JP Laffont who removed his pants full of mud, posing with the local police in charge of keeping the crowd away from the expensive balloon equipment.
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- June 25, 2013. Manhattan, New York. JP Laffont and his wife Eliane at their studio working on the layout for “Photographer’s Paradise”.
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- June 25, 2013. Manhattan, New York. JP Laffont and his wife Eliane, their daughter Stephanie with her partner, and their grand-children Silvie and Spirrow in front of ‘Photographer’s Paradise’ book wall.
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- June 24th, 2013. NYC Laffont studio: left to right Marta Hallett, CEO of Glitterati Inc, JP and Eliane Laffont in front of the selected photos of the “Photographer’s Paradise” book.
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- Flying over New Hempshire with George Bush Sr. Campaining on January 22 1980 on assignemnt by NY Times magazine.
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- July 16 1969, Cap Kennedy, Florida. It is 9.30 am. JP Laffont on stepladder in middle of a small bay, about 30 feet from shore. On his back, in 2 minutes Apollo XI will depart for the moon. In from of him: thousand of well-wishers and supporters of the 3 astronauts. JP will never see the rocket departure; he photographed the enthusiast crowd reaction. Photo by David Burnett.
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- September, 1985. Shaanxi Province, China.