Delpire Éditeur was founded in 1951 by Robert Delpire, which managed the publishing house for over sixty years. The publisher, recognized as a genius of the image, has considerably contributed to the history of photography. After championing works by Robert Frank, William Klein, and Henri Cartier-Bresson, Delpire published creations by photographers whose work became canonical, such as Josef Koudelka, Sarah Moon, and more recently Daido Moriyama. Over the years, numerous eclectic collections, such as Maestro and Photo Poche, were created. They all carry the same ambition: to “surprise the eye” and propose a reflection on the image as graphic art. Another vocation of the house is to create a dialogue between photographs and words. Through the Des images et des mots collection, texts by remarkable authors—thinkers, novelists, and poets—such as Yves Bonnefoy, Michel Deguy, Jean-Paul Sartre, or Erik Orsenna, are associated with photographers.
In 2014, Delpire joined the Libella group, which is unique in its complete financial independence and the diversity of its publishing output (French and foreign literature, travelogues, essays, documents, music, ecology, and illustrated books). Created on the initiative of Véra and Jan Michalski, Libella built up around meaningful publishing houses: Noir sur Blanc, Buchet Chastel, Phébus, Libretto, Photosynthèses, Les Cahiers dessinés.
In 2020, Delpire became delpire & co, a publishing house and bookshop/gallery located at 13 rue de l’Abbaye in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the historic home of Delpire. Thus, delpire & co opened a new chapter in the publishing house’s history, in continuity with the spirit and approach of its founder.
Today, with more than sixty titles, the publishing house continues to put its high standards, its know-how, and its passion at the service of artists. Each book is a unique object created so that the artworks stand out and become part of our lives. Beyond sensibilities, points of view, and writings—and without excluding styles or genres—the purpose of delpire & co remains unchanged: to create books as openings to the world around us and our own inner worlds.
