Eric Bouvet began his photographic career in 1981 after studying art and graphic industries in Paris.
His interest in photography was sparked when, at the age of 8, he watched the first live television images of the Apollo 11 mission landing on the moon. It was then that he realized the importance of news and historic moments, not to mention capturing them on film.
Bouvet worked as a staff photographer at the French photo agency Gamma during the 1980s and launched his freelance career in 1990. He first won international recognition with his 1986 pictures of the rescue efforts in the aftermath of a volcano eruption in Omeyra, Colombia. Since then, Bouvet has covered conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Chechnya, Sudan, Somalia, the former Yugoslavia, Lebanon, Israel, Northern Ireland, Kurdistan, Surinam, Burundi, Libya, and Ukraine.
He has covered major international events including the funeral of Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran, Tiananmen Square in China, the fall of the Berlin Wall, Prague’s Velvet Revolution, the U.S. attack on Libya, the release of Nelson Mandela, the Olympic Games, and the migrant crisis in Europe.
He has also worked on many ‘society’ stories including life in Russian jails, young sailors on aircraft carriers, French police working in the Paris suburbs, France’s last coal miners, and life at a pediatric clinic for children with cancer.
Since 2011, he’s also worked on documentaries projects with large format camera, 4×5 and 8X10 : first one “Sex, Love…” second about “Peace” and still in 2016 “Chaos” and “the French.”
His work has been published in many international magazines including Time, Life, Newsweek, Paris-Match, Stern, The New York Time’s Magazine, and The Sunday Times Magazine. He has also led photographic campaigns of UN and various NGOs and charities including Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), International Red Cross (ICRC), Medecins du Monde (MDM), and Action Against Hunger (ACF).
For the past 20 years, he has given workshops in Arles and many European countries.
Along the way, Bouvet has received five World Press Awards, as well as two Visa d’Or Awards (Perpignan Photo Festival), the gold medal for the 150th anniversary of photography, the Bayeux-Calvados Award for War Correspondents, the Public award from Bayeux-Calvados, the Front Line Club award, and the Paris-Match Award.
Français
Éric Bouvet couvre les événements les plus marquants de notre société depuis quatre décennies, il photographie les évènements majeurs, les conflits, les bouleversements climatiques et sociaux qui modulent et bouleversent notre société contemporaine.
Son métier de photographe pour la presse magazine internationale ainsi que la production de séries personnelles, lui permettent de documenter l’histoire(s) des hommes.
L’homme est au cœur de ses sujets, son approche photographique est au plus près, respectueuse et incisive, il est à la rencontre des personnes dont le destin est bouleversé, cela le mène aussi à approcher celles et ceux qui sont à la recherche d’apaisement et qui se construisent une vie en décalage.
Sa pratique de la photographie est au service de ses sujets, constamment en recherche pour donner corps à ses reportages et ses documentaires, Éric Bouvet ne se repose jamais sur ses acquis, il explore la photographie comme il explore le monde avec humilité et dignité pour que les hommes, source de ses préoccupations, soient fidèlement représentés.
Ses séries sont percutantes et ont trouvé un public attentif et concerné.
Son engagement dans la photographie et la richesse de ses témoignages sont récompensés par de nombreux prix : 5 World Press, 2 Visa d’or, le prix Paris Match, le prix du correspondant de guerre, le prix du Public de Bayeux, la médaille d’or du 150ème anniversaire de la photographie, le prix du Frontline Club.
