Biography - Claire Beaugrand-Champagne
Claire Beaugrand-Champagne was Quebec’s first female press photographer. She represents a generation of documentary photographers who, in the 1970s, set out to explore the province’s social milieu. Often working in small groups in specific locations, they defined an era in the history of photography in Quebec.
Since her first job with the newspaper Le Jour in 1975, Claire Beaugrand-Champagne has consistently focussed on social issues. More recently, she has turned her lens on people in her immediate environment, who have become her main subjects. Taking photographs is a way for her to discover a person and often marks the start of a lasting relationship. Out of these warm, sincere moments emerges something out of the ordinary that touches us all.
Her prints, which are small in relation to the current trend in contemporary art, evoke proximity and sharing. The handwritten captions make the person’s name an integral part of the image. It is the photographer’s way of properly acknowledging those who have agreed to share a part of their life with her.
Her photographs, frequently exhibited around the world, are part of many Canadian museum collections.
Textes tirés de l’introduction à l’exposition ÉMOUVANTE VÉRITÉ, au Musée McCord, 2013-2014