Flaran Abbey in Gers, France, is presenting a previously unseen collection of photographs by renowned French photographer Jean Dieuzaide (1921-2003), focusing on his journey through Turkey. The exhibition, titled "Turkey by Jean Dieuzaide," marks the 16th installment of "La profondeur des champs" (The Depth of Fields), an annual rural exploration initiative organized by the Departmental Conservation of Museums of Gers and the Heritage Center of Flaran, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
The exhibition features an unprecedented series documenting the travels of "Yan" (Jean Dieuzaide's nickname) and his wife Jacqueline through Turkey. The couple's three-month journey required careful family arrangements, with their son Michel staying with his aunt Hélène while a family nanny cared for their daughter. This Turkish expedition was part of Dieuzaide's broader international photography commissions for Arthaud Publishers, which also took him to Spain, Portugal, and Sardinia.
In 1955, Dieuzaide traveled to Turkey to capture the essence of its people and Mediterranean culture. Despite being deeply rooted in his native Southwest France, particularly the Gers region, the Gascon photographer responded to several international assignments that would significantly shape his artistic vision. According to his son Michel, "It was during these various travels that my father's humanist spirit was affirmed, in which people have been quick to confine him, often ignoring the variety of themes addressed and the other facets of his photographic creation where he excelled equally."
Dieuzaide's mastery of light and shadow composition allowed him to transmit the essence of Turkey and capture the soul of an era. His photographs documented the daily lives of artisans and fishermen, culminating in an iconic backlit image of a horse-drawn carriage titled "La chevauchée" (The Ride). This particular photograph earned him the distinction of becoming the first recipient of the Prix Niépce, established in 1955 as photography's equivalent to the Goncourt Prize in literature.
Jean-Claude Lemagny, former chief curator of the Photography Department at the Bibliothèque Nationale (1968-1996), praised Dieuzaide's approach: "Isn't the photographer precisely the prototype of a new artist that we see being born today – one who acts in the world among realities, and no longer one who withdraws from the world to better show its reality? We will not say that Jean Dieuzaide has solved the problem. No one is ready to do so. But we see that he is the only one among the great French photographers to have totally assumed it."
The exhibition displays 62 black and white photographs that demonstrate Dieuzaide's undeniable quality, keen sense of framing, and palpable emotion. These images further illustrate the originality of this passionate observer of humanity, whose predominant role deserves reaffirmation in the landscape of French photography. The Abbey had previously celebrated Dieuzaide's monumental works in 2021 to commemorate the centenary of his birth.
The photography exhibition "Turkey by Jean Dieuzaide" will be housed in the abbey's lodgings at Flaran Abbey in Gers from October 11, 2025, to March 22, 2026. As with previous years, a catalog featuring all the photographs will be published annually. Additional information is available at https://www.patrimoine-musees-gers.fr/le-reseau/abbaye-de-flaran/.
