Gilles Caron: Photographer of the 1968 Era in Two Paris Exhibitions

Key facts

• Two exhibitions on Gilles Caron run concurrently in Paris: 'Gilles Caron, Paris 1968' at Hôtel de Ville (May 4–July 28, 2018) and 'Chorégraphie de la révolte' at School Gallery Paris | Olivier Castaing (May 23–July 13, 2018).
• Curator Michel Poivert organized the Hôtel de Ville exhibition, featuring vintage prints and modern proofs from Caron's archives, many previously unpublished.
• Caron photographed May 1968 protests in France, the Six-Day War (1967), the Vietnam War (Dak Tô), the Biafran civil war, and the Northern Ireland conflict (1969).
• The exhibitions emphasize Caron's 'choreography of revolt' motif, including the iconic image of a paving-stone thrower on Rue Saint-Jacques (May 6, 1968).
• Caron's famous photograph of Daniel Cohn-Bendit in front of the Sorbonne (May 6, 1968) is displayed alongside contact sheets analyzed in Mariana Otero's film 'Histoire d'un regard' (2019).
• Caron refused to fight in the Algerian War and was arrested for conscientious objection; he later became a photojournalist for the Gamma agency.
• The exhibitions also address police violence, showing images of a CRS officer clubbing a young man on Rue du Vieux Colombier (May 6, 1968).
• Caron disappeared in Cambodia in 1970 at age 31, contributing to his mythic status.
• The School Gallery exhibition draws parallels between the Paris 'lanceur de pavé' and similar figures in Londonderry (1969).
• A photograph of a vulture with spread wings from the Biafran war (1968) is presented as an allegory of the journalist as scavenger.