Gaston Paris (1903–1964) is a singular figure in 20th-century French photography, known for his unique perspective on the subjects he explored throughout his career. Trained as a journalist, he began in the 1930s working with many illustrated press titles, such as Vu, where he was the only salaried photographer, as well as Regards and Art et Médecine. He was also a member of Rectangle, an association of French photographer-illustrators and advertisers, alongside Emmanuel Sougez and Pierre Jahan.
As an eclectic photographer, Paris moved from reportage (the ocean liner Normandie, aircraft wind tunnels in Meudon, railway workshops, construction sites) to highly graphic compositions of urban and industrial landscapes (the Eiffel Tower, backstage at the Opéra Garnier), capturing looks, gestures, and atmospheres with a precision sometimes reminiscent of cinema. Whatever the subject, his square frame is always perfectly filled with elegance.
Though less known than some of his contemporaries, Gaston Paris remains an essential witness to the interwar and postwar periods, offering a visual chronicle of a changing era.
After his death in 1964, the Roger-Viollet Agency acquired his production—15,000 negatives that are as varied as they are coherent. Today, his photographs are preserved by the Bibliothèque Historique de la Ville de Paris and distributed by the Roger-Viollet Agency. Following an exhibition at Galerie Roger-Viollet and the Centre Pompidou in 2022, the gallery once again presents the work of Gaston Paris, featuring fifty-eight modern prints.
Galerie Roger‑Viollet
Since 1938, Hélène Roger-Viollet and her husband built a unique collection of over six million photographs, now preserved at the BHVP. Founded in 2020, Galerie Roger-Viollet has become a must-visit for photography enthusiasts, showcasing the originality of photographers such as Gaston Paris, Boris Lipnitzki, Laure Albin Guillot, and of course Hélène Roger-Viollet.