The Jan Michalski Foundation is presenting an exhibition by Yves Debraine titled "Portraits of Writers," featuring the work of a photographer who spent decades capturing some of the most celebrated literary figures of the 20th century. The exhibition showcases Debraine's distinctive black-and-white portraits of writers, offering visitors a unique glimpse into the lives and creative environments of renowned authors.
Yves Debraine (Paris, 1925 – Lausanne, 2011) worked as a photographer and reporter who served as a correspondent in Switzerland for numerous European and American newspapers and magazines. Throughout his distinguished career, he encountered and photographed a vast array of prominent figures from the worlds of sports, science, culture, and the arts. Among this illustrious gallery of photographic archives, writers held a particularly special place in his body of work.
The exhibition features Debraine's masterful black-and-white photographs that capture writers both in posed portraits and candid moments, often photographed in their preferred landscapes or within their writing spaces. These intimate images reveal poets, novelists, and philosophers at the heart of their literary craft, providing unprecedented access to their creative worlds. The photographs are featured in the book "From Cocteau to Simenon: Portraits of Writers," edited by his son Luc Debraine and published by Éditions Noir sur Blanc.
In tribute to the photographer's legacy, the Jan Michalski Foundation has arranged a carefully curated selection of his images throughout the floors of the library. Visitors can encounter portraits of literary luminaries including Ella Maillart, Jean Giono, Vladimir Nabokov, Georges Simenon, Patricia Highsmith, Jean Cocteau, Jacques Chessex, and Marcel Pagnol. Each photograph offers insight into the personalities and environments that shaped some of literature's most influential voices.
Debraine's professional journey began with training at Agence France-Presse before he settled in Switzerland in 1948, where he worked for various national and international press publications. He also founded and directed the monthly magazine "Aînés," which is now known as "Générations." Specializing in black-and-white portraits, he immortalized numerous personalities and became particularly known as Charlie Chaplin's official photographer for more than twenty years. He also served as the dedicated photographer for Georges Simenon and the Piccard family of scientist-adventurers until his death in Lausanne in 2011.
The exhibition "Yves Debraine: Portraits of Writers" will run until January 18, 2026, at the Jan Michalski Foundation Library, located at En Bois Désert 10, CH-1147 Montricher. The foundation's website provides additional information about the exhibition and the photographer's remarkable body of work documenting literary culture.
