Biography

Robert Delpire (24 January 1926 – 26 September 2017) was an art publisher, editor, curator, film producer and graphic designer who lived and worked in Paris. He predominantly concerned himself with documentary photography, influenced by his interest in anthropology.: 189

Delpire was editor-in-chief of the cultural review Neuf. He published books of photography, illustration and graphic art through Éditions Delpire and Photo Poche. Photo Poche has been described as "the most successful series of photography monographs ever published", books that "have introduced successive generations to photography". Delpire was the first to publish many notable books of photography including Les Américains (1958, The Americans) by Robert Frank, "perhaps the most influential photography book of the 20th century"; and Les Gitans (1975, Gypsies) by Josef Koudelka, "one of the defining photobooks of the 20th century".He was director of Centre national de la photographie, and had his own gallery, Galerie Delpire. His company Delpire Productions has produced various films, including Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? (1966, directed by William Klein). He was a key figure in 1960s advertising as a graphic designer with his advertising agency, Delpire Werbung.

Delpire was awarded the International Centre of Photography's (ICP) Infinity Award for Lifetime Achievement and the Royal Photographic Society's Centenary Medal. The Photo Poche collection won the Prix Nadar and ICP's Infinity Award, and Delpire along with Sarah Moon won The Cultural Award from the German Society for Photography (DGPh). Many of the books he edited and published, and films he produced, have also received notable awards.

The retrospective exhibition, Delpire & Co., was shown at Rencontres d'Arles festival, Arles; Maison européenne de la photographie, Paris; then simultaneously across four locations in New York.