On the occasion of its 70th anniversary, Fnac is devoting a new work to its photographic collection. Published by Gallimard editions, Views – A century of photographyfrom Brassaï to Martin Parr appears this October 3 in bookstores. On this occasion, L’Éclaireur met the museum curator and French art historian, Quentin Bajac, who notably signed the preface to this beautiful event book.
Regards is finally available. What do you remember from this experience?
This experience was a pleasure, more than a challenge. It was a pleasure to be able to participate in the formation of this object, making not only the selection but also the outline, the division into chapters, these connections or these associations of images. I really designed this book as a whole. I also benefited from great freedom in my choices in order to constitute the chapters and themes.
I knew little about the history of Fnac, so I discovered a certain number of elements myself while writing the preface. I realized, perhaps in retrospect, the importance of Fnac’s photographic policy. This experience allowed me to rethink my idea of the sign and realize how important it had been.
Luigi Ghirri. ©Luigi Ghirri / Collection photo Fnac / Heirs of Luigi Ghirri
This is what I say in the preface. It was important in my cultural training through the afternoons spent in stores, particularly in Montparnasse, in Paris! I saw photo exhibitions there and spent a lot of time there in those years. So I wanted to give a little nod to what had been for me, and I think for many people of my generation, a place of culture; real access to culture.
We understand that the railway was established in complete freedom, but what challenge did it represent?
Its constitution was not easy, because a certain number of works had already been carried out. I didn’t want to look too much at what had already been done to try not to be too influenced. When thinking about the railway, about the structure of the book, I tried to make sure that it wasn’t stupidly thematic. I didn’t want a division that was dominated by genres, but rather, each time, to bring this category into play by mixing images. I wanted to bring together, for example, genres that we don’t always associate. In the ninth chapter of the book, I wanted some form of conclusion that felt like fireworks. Of course, I didn’t invent everything, but I tried to take several categories by playing with them, twisting them and derailing them a little.
You have chosen the 250 photographs compiled in the book. How do you choose the right image?
It was obviously a difficult choice! There were more than 250 that could obviously have been included in this volume. I really worked on my crush by asking myself about the right image. What does a good image represent? I think that it is an image which, perhaps, cannot be explained only in words, which goes beyond the textual explanations that can be given and which, in a certain way, has a meaning which cannot be reduced to a verbal explanation, which always retains its enigmatic, mysterious and slightly incomprehensible character.
What was your encounter with photography? What relationship do you have with her?
The first photographs that fascinated me were photographs that did not belong to the field of art, because they were scientific photography, particularly from the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, linked to X-rays. These are images that were made in non-artistic settings. Then, I developed a passion for the first great photojournalists. Speaking of which, the first photography book I bought was a book about Robert Capa. Although he is considered an artist today, that was not always the case!
Brassaï. ©BrassaÏ / Photo collection of the Fnac / Brassaï Succession
With this book, we realize that photography goes beyond art to become the true witness of history. What link do you make between photography and history?
Photography represents the missing link between two arts that interest me a lot: painting and cinema. What interests me precisely in photography is that it is an artistic practice which manages to go beyond this simple condition. There is an anchor to reality which remains much stronger than with the medium of painting or drawing. It is an art, but it is also a cultural fact, an anthropological fact which cannot only be limited to an artistic practice. This is what makes it rich.
Why is the release of this book important? Why do you think now is the right time to release this compilation?
I think it is important to retrace the history of Fnac today, of this access to culture at a time when its democratization still remains an unresolved question, and perhaps, moreover, that it is even more important today than 40 years ago. Of course, there have already been many projects around the collection, but I think it is also good to do it again today, because this access to culture is always a vast question. Perhaps also because photography in its most classic form of print is disappearing.
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