Marie-Laure de Decker: the photojournalist reveals herself in a retrospective at the MEP - our photos

The Maison Européenne de la Photographie is devoting a major exhibition to Marie-Laure de Decker, the great photojournalist of the 20th century. The retrospective runs from June 4 to September 28, 2025.

From the Vietnam War to the silver screen, Marie-Laure de Decker has trailed her artist's eye everywhere, capturing the defining moments of the 20th century. Nearly fifty years of career, current events and important personalities can be found on the films of this essential photojournalist.

The Maison Européenne de la Photographie is organizing a retrospective exhibition in honor of Marie-Laure de Decker, from June 4 to September 28, 2025. The exhibition brings together a wide range of images taken by the photographer since the 1970s.

Marie-Laure de Decker has made a name for herself reporting on the wars and conflicts that marked the 20th century. In this violent, often male-dominated world, she stands out for her powerful images, filled with humanity, and her dynamic compositions at the heart of the action. Vietnam, Chad, China, South Africa, Chile: she travels the world with her camera, always meeting the local people. In France, she coverspolitical and socialevents, including the famous photograph of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing on the evening of his election in 1974.

The photographer is also known for her portraits and self-portraits. She quickly integrated the world of art, cinema and fashion, immortalizing the great artists of her time. Whether Marcel Duchamp, Catherine Deneuve, Coluche or Man Ray, her images of these encounters are as powerful and expressive as her news reports.

" Marie-Laure was a storyteller," says her son, Pablo Saavedra. Indeed, each photograph tells a powerful story, sometimes too real, too brutal. While the photographer never wanted to show blood or casualties, the realities of war and violence are clearly evident in some of her images.

Shots of combatants posing proudly with their weapons, images of young women serving as entertainment for soldiers during the Vietnam War can be hard to contemplate. The photographer's talent and the beauty of the images contrast with the harsh reality depicted in these shots. Yet despite these terrible events, which Marie-Laure de Decker witnessed during her reporting, the photographer remains attached to the beautiful and thehuman.

Men, women and children are at the heart of all her work. On every continent, she shows us the life and intimacy that can sometimes disappear behind the news. Marie-Laure de Decker was known for her magnificent portraits, and this exhibition shows just how much care she took in immortalizing the individuals she encountered everywhere.

Along the way, Marie-Laure de Decker also gradually reveals herself through photos and self-portraits: she explores her own image, playing with light to create works that are always striking.

For this exhibition, the MEP is unveiling exclusive vintage prints, revealing the artist in a whole new light. A must-see exhibition to rediscover this pioneer of photojournalism.

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