Jean Gaumy
Encyclopedia
Jean Gaumy is a French
photographer and filmmaker who has been associated with Magnum Photos
since 1977.
, France
. He attended school in Toulouse
and Aurillac
and went to university in Rouen
. While a student in Rouen, he began working as a freelance photographer to help pay for his education. In 1973 he joined Gamma (agency)
.
Much of his work has focused on human confinement. In 1975 he began work on two such projects in France: L'hôpital and Les Incarcérés, both of which were published as books. Les Incarcérés was an unprecedented project on French prisons—he was the first to receive permission to photograph them. In 1984 he made his first film, La Boucane. It was nominated for a César in 1986. That year he also began a series of trips aboard trawlers which led to his 2001 publication Pleine Mer. Beginning in 1987 he spent two years documenting Octeville-sur-Mer
through the eyes of the so-called village idiot Jean-Jacques. Since the late 1980s he has also traveled often to Iran
and has also traveled in Central America and Africa
2006, exposed at Les Rencontres d'Arles festival, France.
He has made several other films. In recent years he has been documenting life on a nuclear submarine
and has also worked on a series of mountain landscapes.
, Haute Normandie.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
photographer and filmmaker who has been associated with Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo...
since 1977.
Career
Gaumy was born in Pontaillac, Charente-MaritimeCharente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime is a department on the west coast of France named after the Charente River.- History :Previously a part of Saintonge, Charente-Inférieure was one of the 83 original departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He attended school in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
and Aurillac
Aurillac
Aurillac is a commune in the Auvergne region in south-central France, capital of the Cantal department.Aurillac's inhabitants are called Aurillacois, and are also Cantaliens or Cantalous in Occitan....
and went to university in Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
. While a student in Rouen, he began working as a freelance photographer to help pay for his education. In 1973 he joined Gamma (agency)
Gamma (agency)
Gamma is a French photo agency, founded in 1966 by Raymond Depardon, Hubert Henrotte, Hugues Vassal and Léonard de Raemy. Gilles Caron joined the agency shortly after its foundation...
.
Much of his work has focused on human confinement. In 1975 he began work on two such projects in France: L'hôpital and Les Incarcérés, both of which were published as books. Les Incarcérés was an unprecedented project on French prisons—he was the first to receive permission to photograph them. In 1984 he made his first film, La Boucane. It was nominated for a César in 1986. That year he also began a series of trips aboard trawlers which led to his 2001 publication Pleine Mer. Beginning in 1987 he spent two years documenting Octeville-sur-Mer
Octeville-sur-Mer
Octeville-sur-Mer is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France and is twinned with Bourne End in United Kingdom since 2003 and with Furci Siculo in Italy since 2010.-Geography:...
through the eyes of the so-called village idiot Jean-Jacques. Since the late 1980s he has also traveled often to Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and has also traveled in Central America and Africa
2006, exposed at Les Rencontres d'Arles festival, France.
He has made several other films. In recent years he has been documenting life on a nuclear submarine
Nuclear submarine
A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor . The performance advantages of nuclear submarines over "conventional" submarines are considerable: nuclear propulsion, being completely independent of air, frees the submarine from the need to surface frequently, as is necessary for...
and has also worked on a series of mountain landscapes.
Personal life
In the early 1970s he married his wife Michelle and in 1975 their daughter Marie was born. Since 1995 he has lived in FécampFécamp
Fécamp is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:Fécamp is situated in the valley of the river Valmont, at the heart of the Pays de Caux, on the Albaster Coast...
, Haute Normandie.
Filmography
- Sous-Marin (video, color, 5x25'), 2006
- Marcel, Prêtre (16mm, color, 42'), 1994
- Jean-Jacques (16mm, color, 52'), 1987
- La Boucane (16mm, color, 35'), 1984
Awards and nominations
- Named Peintre de la Marine, 2008
- Prix NadarPrix NadarThe Prix Nadar is an annual prize awarded for a photography book edited in France. The prize was created in 1955 and is awarded by a jury of photojournalists and publishing experts....
, France, 2001 et 2010 - Prix du film document de Belfort (for "Jean-Jacques") France, 1987
- Nomination for a César AwardCésar AwardThe César Award is the national film award of France, first given out in 1975. The nominations are selected by the members of the Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma....
(for La Boucane) (short-documentary category) France, 1986 - Prix du premier film au Festival du Film Ethnologique, Paris, France, 1984
Collections
- National Maritime Museum of Paris, France
- Centre Beaubourg, Paris, France
- Public Collection, the National Library, France
- National Photography Foundation, LyonLyonLyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, France - Magnum PhotosMagnum PhotosMagnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo...
collection, Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...