Marie-Laure De Decker

Marie-Laure de Decker / For Chad, 1975-1978.

The exhibition brings together works from a decisive period in the career of Marie-Laure de Decker (1947-2023). For more than four decades, this photojournalist, a major figure of twentieth-century French photography, travelled the world to document the great upheavals of her time. She also turned her lens on little-publicised situations, notably the civil war in Chad. Having become her adopted country, Chad is at the heart of one of her major series, presented here.

Sent to cover the kidnapping of the archaeologist Françoise Claustre by the revolutionaries of the Frolinat on 21 April 1974, during the civil war, she gradually came to support the independence cause of the rebels. Over three stays, between 1975 and 1978, she produced portraits of fighters and took an interest in the everyday life of the inhabitants. Without limiting herself to simple news documentation, Decker claimed a subjective and committed approach, nourished by the close relationship she built with those she photographed.

Drawn from research in the photographer's archives, this exhibition was initiated during her lifetime. It highlights a remarkable body of work that marked a decisive turning point in her career. Widely published in the French and international press, it earned her lasting recognition in a field then largely dominated by men.

This exhibition is a condensed version of the original retrospective, inaugurated at the MEP in June 2025. It was made possible through the collaboration of Pablo Saavedra de Decker, the photographer's son, who has been carrying out work since 2019 to inventory and disseminate this photographic collection.