René Robert (4 March 1936 – 20 January 2022) was a Swiss photographer who specialized in photographing
flamenco artists.
Life and career
Born in 1936 in
Fribourg, Robert discovered photography at the age of 12. He had a three-year apprenticeship in
Lausanne before working for a press agency in
Geneva.[1] In the mid-1960s, he moved to Paris, where he met a Swedish dancer who introduced him to the flamenco. In 1967, he became one of the great portrait photographers. He photographed personalities such as
Paco de Lucía,
Israel Galván, and
Rocío Molina Cruz [
es] in black-and-white.[2][3]
Death
On the evening of 19 January 2022, Robert was walking through the
Place de la République in Paris when he suddenly had a heart attack and collapsed on the sidewalk on Rue de Turbigo. Despite Robert lying motionless and on the pavement for nine hours, no-one stopped to assist him or called for help, until eventually a homeless person called the emergency services.[4][5] Robert died of
hypothermia on 20 January 2022, at the age of 85.[6][7]
His death was subsequently the subject of media debate around public indifference to street people.[4]
Personal life
He is survived by his daughter Dorothee Mazet, who lives in Serifontaine, France.