Bridgeman Images has acquired
Rue des Archives, the premier French archival photo library, and expanded the company’s range of historic imagery and personalities for licensing. Rue des Archives is an exceptional resource with photography ranging from the cave paintings of Lascaux to 21st century Parisian life.
Customers will now have easy access to high-quality photographs of international figures from the world of film, fashion, art, entertainment, politics and more.
At the core of the archive is the collection of content from the AGIP picture agency, founded in 1936 and containing over 3,000,000 images, covering France’s newsworthy events, artists, writers and stars.
In addition, Rue des Archives has enhanced its impressive reputation by featuring specialist photographers including Gérald Bloncourt (political and humanitarian images), Michel Sima (artists & workshops), René Saint Paul (photojournalism, Albert Camus), Raymond Cauchetier (“Nouvelle Vague” film sets) and representing major image sources in France such as CineStreet (French movie archives) and Paul-Emile Victor.
A Partnership to Extend Global Reach
Victoria Bridgeman, CEO of Bridgeman Images, says: “We have been admiring Rue des Archives for a number of years, so it is very exciting that we have now joined forces. Thanks to its fantastic content and its excellent team, headed by Darius Shepard, Rue des Archives is a leading library in the French market and we look forward to working with them to extend RDA’s reach to Bridgeman’s global audience. I’m confident that the combined strength of Bridgeman and Rue des Archives will make us a force to be reckoned with"
Speaking about the acquisition Darius Shepard remarked: “Synergy; cooperation by combining forces, is essential to future growth in our industry. I’m really looking forward to continuing the success of Rue des Archives in partnership with Bridgeman Images”
Beyond its own archive, Rue des Archives has the French distribution of many international collections.
Over many years, the agency has developed a network of photographers and rights holders with creative IP providing a view of movie set photography, society, art and fashion. Rue des Archives will maintain its offices in Paris and begin transferring content to Bridgeman Images for international distribution.
Bridgeman Images is delighted to add this prestigious image archive to its growing portfolio of art related brands and proud to be the premier licensing agent for
museums and archives in France and around the world. Bridgeman’s French collection already includes the world renowned Giraudon photographic archive, founded in 1877, which contains stunning imagery sourced from French museums, cultural institutions and private collections.