Each Person’s Fate …

[Spring 1996]

by Robert Legendre

“Each person’s fate is linked to the source of his or her dignity.”1

And at the moment, CVphoto’s dignity is to survive with pleasure. That is why we are starting, with this issue, to publish texts the content of which will no doubt interest all of our readers.

We believe that the subjects addressed will provoke hoped-for debates. This new space must be perceived as a podium from which all truth can be spoken, especially to those who do not want to hear it. The tone is set by Sylvain Campeau and his “Silence des agneaux”.

In February, the Maison européenne de la Photographie was inaugurated in Paris. This space, located on Rue François Miron, ensures unprecedented and remarkable visibility to photography in all its forms, contemporary and historical. We sample the site and take in a generous breath of the spirit of photographers the world over who have systematically commented on our world and our rationales. The Maison is the result of hard work by Jean-Luc Monterosso and his team. It must be said, however, that the promoters of the conference “The Presence of Photography in Museum Collections”2 still have much pioneering work to do to gain photography a semblance of its rightful place.

With this issue, the direct collaboration of Serge Clément and myself with this venture comes to an end, after almost four years of work, meetings, anxieties, and pleasure. It was all worth it. Serge leaves as of this issue. I will miss his professionalism and his absolute generosity.

“And so,” as Batman would say, “On to new adventures!” But for myself, these will come a bit later.

1 Some famous writer wrote this. Unfortunately, I lost the bit of paper on wich his name was written several years ago.

2 Conference held in September, 1995, as part of the Mois de la Photo à Montréal. See CVphoto, no. 32.