986 Portraits of families who tell the diversity and life of the French

In 2023, Yann Arthus-Bertrand decided to continue and enrich the work of portraits he started in the 1990s. While the social and political situation tense in France, the photographer takes the side of showing solidarity so often encountered, photographing groups.

He turns to his accomplice Hervé Le Bras, with which he has already worked on 365 days for the earth and the earth seen from the sky, For a demographic and social reading of the photos. The project starts aboard its famous truck containing a mobile photo studio launched on the roads of France!

A France of looks, smiles, families, professions

For two years, the team crosses cities and campaigns, calling on the population to come to be photographed. From metropolises to small municipalities, from Marseille to Haguenau (Bas-Rhin), golf courses in suburban schools, 30,000 photos are taken, 986 chosen, legend by Hervé Le Bras, which contextualizes them.

The album gives a sensitive, human image of the country. A France of faces, smiles, families, professions, passions. The book is organized in twelve large sets linked by a kinship and excavated analytical texts: education and training; families and relatives; Medicine and health; public services and political actors; inhabit and move; food and living; Art and crafts; Manufacturing and maintenance; services and offices; customs and culture; associations and religions; sport.

By browsing this album, one can only be seized by the vibrant looks, and the vibrant presence. Diversity and generosity explode while the texts enrich us. This panorama strongly lights up our common history.