Marc Riboud

Overview

Marc Riboud was born in 1923 in Lyon. At the Great Exhibition 
of Paris in 1937 he took his first pictures with the small Vest-
Pocket camera his father offered him. From 1945 to 1948 he 
studied engineering and worked in a factory. After a week of 
holiday, during which he covers the cultural festival of Lyon, 
he drops his engineering job for photography.

In 1953 he joined Magnum agency after meeting Henri 
Cartier-Bresson and Robert Capa. For Magnum he travelled
extensively around the globe. In 1976 he became president of 
Magnum and resigned three years later. Since the 1980s he 
keeps travelling at his own pace.

Marc Riboud published many books, among which the most 
famous are The three banners of China, Journal, Huang Shan,
Capital of Heaven, and Angkor, the serenity of Buddhism.

In 2004 his retrospective was exhibited at the Maison 
Européenne de la Photographie in Paris. Numerous museums 
trough Europe, the United States, China and Japan regularly 
show his work. He received many awards, among which the 
Time-Life Achievement, the Lucie Award and the ICP Infinity 
Award.

Works
Exhibitions