the 2024 Viviane Esders Prize awarded to Jean-Claude Delalande

This Wednesday, October 9, the 3rd edition of the Viviane Esders Prize was held at the Jeu de Paume in Paris. Its winner, chosen from three finalists, is the photographer Jean-Claude Delalande. It benefits from a grant of 50,000 euros, of which 10,000 euros are reserved for the publication of a work. The two other finalists, Hannah Collins and Nicole Gravier, each receive 5,000 euros.

The Prize was created in 2022 by Viviane Esders and is supported by the endowment fund also launched by this patron and photography expert, which thus perpetuates a “ family tradition of patronage “, she specifies. Each year, the prize highlights a European photographer, independent and in activity for more than 40 years, with the desire to help “ better light » his work. The jury, chaired by the founder, was this year made up of six personalities from the world of art and culture: Emma de Caunes, actress and director; Antoine de Galbert, contemporary art collector and patron; Marion Hislen, head of the support fund and workshops at ADAGP; Luce Lebart, photography historian and exhibition curator; Jean-Hubert Martin, exhibition curator; Nicolas Trèves, collector of contemporary art and photography.

Jean-Claude Delalande defines himself above all as an everyday photographer. Born in Paris in 1962, he practices photography alongside a career in insurance. “ Sad landscapes after the storm », family portraits, self-portraits, he captures the daily life of his couple and that of those around him. In 1993, he took photography lessons in Montreuil-sous-Bois, and then began to combine his self-portraits with scenes of those close to him. Over the years, he has produced numerous series: Daily, Death Nature, Chiaroscuro, to name just a few. An amateur, Jean-Claude Delalande is far from being unknown in the world of photography. His works have on numerous occasions been the subject of exhibitions in small and large institutions, such as at the MEP in Paris, at the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) site François Mitterrand, or at the MuCEM in Marseille and at the Rencontres of photography in Arles. Some of his images have also entered the collections of the BnF, Imagerie de Lannion or the French photography museum in Bièvres. He also contributes to newspapers, such as The Cross, The World and the magazine Stubborn and published portfolios in journals Images Magazine, Photo Answers, Eyemazing et Magazine photography.

Antoine de Galbert yesterday described the work of Jean-Claude Delalande, his favorite candidate, as “ outstanding. He knew how to photograph his couple and their loved ones in an atmosphere middle class amazing. C’is a fascinating work. »