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Relive one of the most significant moments in French history with “At the Heart of May 68.” This commemorative edition brings together the perspectives of photographer Bruno Barbey and journalist Philippe Tesson, both witnesses to these historic events.
For the fiftieth anniversary of the May 1968 events, two privileged witnesses revisit this pivotal period in French history. On one side, we have Philippe Tesson, the former editor-in-chief of “Combat.” This newspaper was one of the few that sided with the youth and the demonstrators, at least until the nights of violence. The journalist and editorialist shares his perspective on the events through an unpublished text. On the other side, renowned photographer Bruno Barbey, who was responsible for the photographic coverage of May 68 for the Magnum agency. He captured the life of the demonstrators, immortalizing the key moments that shook France. His photos circled the globe and remain invaluable visual testimonies of a highly tumultuous period.
The book “At the Heart of May 68” offers a unique perspective on those few weeks that shook France. Bruno Barbey and Philippe Tesson come together to revisit these events, providing a different illumination of this major historical event. Discover or rediscover May-June 1968 from a new angle through texts and photographs that trace the lives of the student and worker demonstrators.
Bruno Barbey (1941–2020), a French-Moroccan photographer born in Meknes, studied photography and graphic design at the École des Arts et Métiers in Vevey, Switzerland. From the 1960s onwards, he distinguished himself through his humanistic approach and exceptional mastery of color, which became his signature style. At just 25 years old, he joined Magnum Photos thanks to his striking work on Italy and Italians, and went on to hold key roles within the agency, eventually becoming president of Magnum International.
For more than fifty years, he traveled the world documenting societies in the midst of transformation: Morocco, to which he returned time and again, but also Poland, Italy, the United States, and China. He covered many major conflicts, including May 1968 in Paris, Vietnam, the Middle East, the Yom Kippur War, and Phnom Penh, always with the desire to bear witness without sensationalism, driven by a deeply sensitive gaze, “attracted by beauty, humanity, and positivity.”
The author of some twenty books, exhibited internationally and elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 2016, Bruno Barbey is now considered one of the great figures of 20th-century documentary photography.
He is the author of Au cœur de Mai 68 (In the Heart of May 68), published by Éditions du Pacifique, and contributed to Burma – 7 Days in Myanmar by 30 Photographers.
Philippe Tesson (1928-2023) was a French journalist, editorialist, and newspaper publisher. He began his career at Combat, where he served as editor-in-chief from 1960 to 1974, before founding Le Quotidien de Paris, which he ran until 1994. A theater enthusiast, he had been a drama critic since the late 1950s and published long columns in Le Canard enchaîné, L’Express, and Le Figaro Magazine.
He ran Éditions de l’Avant-Scène Théâtre and, with his daughter Stéphanie Tesson, took over the Théâtre de Poche-Montparnasse in 2012. Philippe Tesson also appeared on radio and television as a literary and cultural commentator. He was an officer of the Legion of Honor and president of the jury for the Prix Interallié.
He published the book Au cœur de Mai 68 (At the Heart of May 68) with Éditions du Pacifique.
