Luc Chessex

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Luc Chessex (born August 10, 1936 in Lausanne ) is a Swiss photographer who became famous among other things for his photographs during his time in Cuba.

Life

Luc Chessex was born on August 10, 1936 in Lausanne in French-speaking Switzerland and experienced his childhood there. From 1956 to 1958 he attended the École de photographie in Vevey . After leaving school, Chessex first worked in a Kodak store, where he was responsible for developing photos and as a freelance photographer.

In view of the political change in Cuba , at the age of 25 in 1960, he emigrated to the newly created socialist state, where he wanted to support the revolution with his photographs. There he first worked from 1961 to 1968 as the official photographer of the revolution in the Ministry of Culture , among other things as the photographer of Che Guevara , whose photos of him went around the world. He then worked for the Cuban press agency Prensa Latina for four years, where he traveled to South America, among others.

After this time in Cuba, he returned to Lausanne in 1975, falling out of favor with Fidel Castro, where he worked as a freelance photographer. According to his own account, he was initially shocked by the anonymity of his home country, after having lived in a much more communicative country for years. From 1978 to 1980 he followed the Red Cross on its missions in Africa . From 1981 to 1989 he worked as a teacher at the photography school in Yverdon , at the University of Geneva , at the Ecole sociale et pédagogique and at the art school in Lausanne. Since then he has been traveling around the world and taking photographs in various countries. In 2006, after more than 30 years, Chessex entered Cuba again for the first time on the occasion of the opening of an exhibition in thephoteca de Cuba and does not completely rule out a return trip to the country.

Solo exhibitions

  • “Los cubanos” in the Casa de las Américas, Havana 1965.
  • "Quand il n'y a plus d'Eldorado", exhibitions in Lausanne, Geneva, Caracas and London, 1977.
  • "Une autre Afrique", traveling exhibition for the Red Cross, 1980.
  • "Swiss Life", exhibitions in Lausanne, Zurich and Paris, 1987.
  • «El Público» in the Foto Forum, Lucerne 1988.
  • "Monsieur le rédacteur" in the Musée de l'Elysée, Lausanne 1989.
  • «Suisse chérie» in the Focale Gallery, Nyon 1989.
  • "Mort d'un cimetière" in the Galerie d'Art, Lausanne 1989.
  • "For Hiroshima" in the Focale Gallery, Nyon 1995.
  • "América latina 1961-1976", exhibitions in Mexico City, Quito, La Paz, Montevideo and São Paulo, 1996.
  • “Etre comme les autres” in the Forum de l'Hôtel de Ville, Lausanne 1996.
  • "Children of the World" in Leigh University Galleries, Bethlehem 1997.
  • «Lausanne côté jardins», Forum de l'Hôtel de Ville, Lausanne 1997.
  • "Mémoire des jardins" at the Musée des arts décoratifs, Lausanne 1998.
  • "Around the World", exhibitions in Lausanne, Zagreb, Bordeaux and Munich, 1999.
  • «Cuba - Le temps des promesses», exhibitions in Geneva and Vevey, 2000.
  • “Arts de vivre” in the Espace Arlaud, Lausanne 2000.
  • "Des journées entières sur le lac" in the Musée du Léman, Nyon 2002.
  • "Jardines de Lausanne", exhibitions in Huesca and Lanzarote, 2003.
  • "Vidy et ailleurs ..." in Espace Arlaud, Lausanne 2003.
  • "Cuba" in the Musée suisse de l'appareil photographique, Vevey 2003.

Awards

  • 1991: Grand Prix vaudois des arts, par la Fondation vaudoise pour la promotion et la création artistique

literature

  • The face of the revolution . Lutz Verlag, Zurich 1969.
  • Nous ne voulons pas d'un monde où la garantie de ne pas mourir de faim s'échange contre le risque de mourir d'ennui . Lutz Verlag, Zurich 1971.
  • Quand il n'y a plus d'Eldorado . Lutz Verlag, Zurich 1982.
  • Swiss Life . Editions Payot, Lausanne 1987, ISBN 978-2-601-03032-7 .
  • El Público . U.Bär Verlag, Zurich 1988, ISBN 978-3-905137-18-7 .
  • Mort d'un cimetière . Editions 24 Heures, Lausanne 1989, ISBN 978-3-905137-18-7 .
  • Lausanne côté jardins . Editions Payot, Lausanne 1997.
  • Une envie de ville heureuse . Editions du Péribole, Lausanne 1998.
  • Around the world . Lutz Verlag, Zurich 1999.
  • The greatest risk in life is to risk nothing . Self-published, Lausanne 2000.
  • Vidy et ailleurs . Payot, Lausanne 2003.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b “PHOTOsuisse: Luc Chessex”, 12-minute television documentary by Lionel Baier for SF DRS , Switzerland, 2004
  2. ↑ a b Erwin Dettling: Photographer Luc Chessex reconciles in Havana. In: swissinfo. April 12, 2006, accessed September 22, 2010 .
personal data
SURNAME Chessex, Luc
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss photographer
DATE OF BIRTH August 10, 1936
PLACE OF BIRTH Lausanne