Starting January 17th through February 10th, 2012, legendary reporter Hugues Vassal’s “Mes années sixties” will be on display at the French Institute in Beirut, Lebanon.

Mes années sixties shows 40 black and white prints from the final years of Vassal’s at France Dimanche and his beginnings as associate and founder of the Gamma photo press agency .

After several attempts at working as a model, Vassal began covering current events in the early 1950’s. His coverage of Edith Piaf in 1955 would mark the beginning of his notoriety in the field. 
He then began working for the widely popular French weekly France-Dimanche where he specialized in show business. In the 60’s, he was called the “abominable man backstage”. He shot Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly's wedding, Jayne Mansfield, Gary Cooper in Paris, Frank Sinatra and Yul Brynner in Monte-Carlo, Johnny Halliday, Sylvie Vartan, Mireille Mathieu, Jacques Brel, Georges Brassens, Dalida… Stories that, with those of set photographer Léonard de Rémy, would allow Gamma to pay its bills.

At the end of 1966, Hugues Vassal met the other founding members of Gamma press agency. In addition to the “people” stories, he would cover politicians and would travel abroad for coverage of apartheid in South Africa and the cultural revolution in the People’s Republic of China. His pictures would be featured in magazines all over the world.

Today, at over 70, he is in astonishingly good shape, with a surprising serenity for such a bubbling personality. He is content, and entirely focused on sharing his experiences. “What I hope to show in this exhibition is how my career evolved over 15 years.” 
A generous soul, the profits from the sale of his pictures on display in Beirut will be donated to the Kfar Sama Foundation for Children. For our readers in Beirut, the opening will take place on January 17t at 6:30pm!

Michel Puech