Jean-Marie Périer

Salut les Copains

Jean-Marie Périer

born in 1940 in Neuilly-sur-Seine (France)

Jean-Marie Périer was the photographer for the magazine Salut les Copains from 1962 to 1974. 

In the midst of France’s social and cultural revolution, he photographed some of the biggest names in French and foreign music. Quickly, he made color photography his signature as a way to embody the pop movement. 

Throughout the years, Jean-Marie Périer developed close relationships with these artists who were on their way to becoming world famous. He followed them on the road, sat with them during meals, and had access to their private quarters. Mick Jagger would call him when he was in Paris, he traveled to San Francisco with Claude François, photographed Sylvie Vartan in a teacher's costume, transformed Johnny Hallyday into James Dean, played Blackjack with Keith Richards, and captured the Beatles between hotel rooms and concerts.Read more

Jean-Marie Périer's work has become an important archive in the history of music, tracing the rise of the legends of rock'n'roll. He remembers a time when "the freedom to photograph was indisputable, a right in itself". Today, no photographer would be allowed to take the same pictures. "Back then, nothing was serious and everything was possible."