Jean-Pierre Laffont’s deeply personal photobook on a formative period of American history, when counterculture ignited a series of cultural revolutions that continue to shape our lives today.
As the first French photographer to dedicate his life to documenting America from the 1960s to 1980s, Jean-Pierre Laffont's iconic photographs offer an outsider's perspective on the phenomena of a generation defined by their drive to question established norms.
In 1964, Jean-Pierre Laffont arrived in the United States as an immigrant with a camera, allowing him to document the counterculture up close. Borne out of growing opposition to capitalism and materialism, the counterculture movement was a massive youth-driven insurrection that shaped the identity and collective memory of America. This latest project includes over one hundred and fifty photographs and it is a kaleidoscopic celebration of rebellions, including the Vietnam War protests, the civil rights movement, women's liberation, the LGBTQ+ movement, hippies, religions, and gangs. These photographs give viewers a window into the groups that populated a period that indelibly altered the course of American history.
Jean-Pierre Laffont (born 1935 in Alger) is an internationally celebrated photojournalist, renowned for his iconic images documenting pivotal moments of social transformation in American history. His photographs have been featured in major international publications including Time, Life, Newsweek, and Paris Match. He has received numerous honors, including the Lucie Award, Visa d'Or Lifetime Achievement, Knight in the National French Order of Arts and Letters, France's Legion of Honor, and the Hermione Award which celebrates the friendship between France and the US.
