MANICOMIO

Raymond Depardon, born in Villefranche-sur-Saône in 1942, belongs to a generation of French photographers reluctant to over-interpret its subjects. Depardon developed a profound love for the Middle East and the desert, recurrent themes in his later work. In 1967 an encounter with Gilles Caron led to the founding of Gamma, through which they were assigned to the most troubled parts of the world. In 1973 Depardon became Gamma's director. From 1975 to 1977 he travelled in Chad and received a Pulitzer Prize in 1977. The next year Depardon left Gamma to become a Magnum associate, then a full member in 1979, when he also received a George Sadoul Prize for his film Numéro Zéro. Depardon's numerous awards include the Robert Capa Gold Medal, the César Award for Best Documentary and a nomination for an Academy Award. His books with Steidl include Villes/Cities/Städte (2007) and Manhattan Out (2008).

In 1977, I met Franco Basaglia, director of the manicomio (lunatic asylum) at the hospital in Triest, who was also theleader of an alternative psychiatric movement. Taking advantage of the chaotic political situation in Italy at the time, he
started to close several psychiatric hospitals with a group of doctors, and had Law 180 passed in 1978, which resulted
in the definitive closure of the asylums. Franco encouraged me to take photographs of this reality, If not, they will not
believe us, he told me. With more than a hundred thousand people interned in psychiatric asylums all over Italy, the
situation was indeed dramatic. He also introduced me to directors of other asylums in Venice, Naples, Arezzo and Turin.
For four years, until the closure of the hospital on the island of San Clemente very close to Venice, I photographed
these places of pain to preserve them in memory and to pay tribute to Franco Basaglia who died from a sudden illness
in 1980. My film about San Clemente came out in 1982, but it s only now thirty years later after a long pause that
I have finally edited and designed the photographic work that was begun all those years ago. Raymond Depardon