60 years later, people from Nice recognize themselves in a photo of the famous Charles Bébert displayed on the Promenade des Anglais

Three people from a signature photo of the famous Charles Bébert were found, 60 years later, when the photo was printed in large format and installed on the Promenade des Anglais as part of an exhibition on the “Nice of yesterday”. In December 1965, the man who nicknamed himself the “image hunter”, known for his portraits of stars on the Côte d’Azur, captured a banal scene of life at a confectioner’s ice cream parlor in the city center, Canastel, which is still open today. ‘today. We see adults all smiles and a more reserved little girl, a touching contrast which plunges into the atmosphere of another time at a glance.

It is this little girl, Michèle, now 72 years old, who recognized herself by admiring this photo placed under a pergola of the Prom’, in Nice, opposite the Negresco hotel. By sharing a message on social networks, she was contacted by Stéphane and Bruno Bébert, Charles’s sons, who are now busy promoting their father’s archives. A few investigations later, a couple leaning on the confectionery counter was also found. A meeting between the photographer and his subjects was then organized 60 years later, and Charles Bébert immortalized them once again in front of this now iconic photo.

“It’s a beautiful story, it’s something quite incredible”agrees Stéphane Bébert, who feeds an Instagram account with the most beautiful photos of his father, such as unusual portraits of Mick Jagger, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jacques Brel. A print of the original photo is offered to them by the intrepid Charles Bébert (87 years old) who, as since he was 14 and his arrival from Oran to Nice in 1962, carries his camera over his shoulder.

This photo appeals to many people, assures Stéphane Bébert, happy to have unearthed it for this exhibition. “It tells of an era, a joy of living”he describes. In the 60s, 70s and 80s, the reporter photographed the districts of the Riviera capital from their best angles and also captured everyday scenes, like the one in this confectionery frequented by many pieds-noirs who came, among others, to taste there. a unique frozen drink.

The exhibition made up of 28 large formats, part of which is on the Promenade des Anglais and the majority in the gardens of Villa Masséna, is visible until January 20. At the end of December, Charles Bébert received the medal of honor and recognition from the city of Nice for his unique and recognized work in the world of photography. In March 2024, a book with 75 of his photos was published, retracing his atypical encounters with celebrities passing through the Côte d’Azur.