Sygma (agency) explained

Sygma (formally known as Agence Presse Sygma or Sygma Photo News) was a French photo agency.^[1] Sygma was established in 1973, was acquired by Corbis in 1999, and went bankrupt in 2011.^{[2] [3]} It was one of the largest and leading photo agencies,^[4] with offices in Paris, London and New York City, and about 500 photographers under contract.^[5]

Sygma's archive of 50 million objects is stored at the Sygma Preservation and Access Facility in Garnay near Paris.

History

Sygma was founded in 1973 by (co-founder of the Gamma agency) and other photographers from Gamma^{[6] [7]} including Eliane Laffont^[8] and Jean-Pierre Laffont.

It was one of the largest and leading photo agencies,^[9] with offices in Paris, London and New York City, and about 500 photographers under contract.

It was acquired by Bill Gates' Corbis in 1999^[10] and the new organisation was called Corbis Sygma.

Sygma declared bankruptcy and shut down operations in 2011 when it could not afford to pay damages resulting from a court case.

Sygma Preservation and Access Facility

Sygma's archive includes 50 million objects from the second half of the 20th century.^[11] It is stored at the Sygma Preservation and Access Facility, a dedicated facility in Garnay, near Paris, established in 2009.^{[12] [13] [14] [15]}

Further reading

• Book: Setboun . Michel . 40 ans de photo-journalisme: génération Sygma . Cousin . Marie . . 2013 . 978-2-7324-5973-8 . Paris . fr . 40 years of photojournalism: Sygma generation.

External links

• "PAN Special Report: The Sygma Preservation and Access Facility"
• "Stock Agency • Corbis: facility near Paris ensures the preservation of the extraordinary Sygma photo collection of over 800,000 photographs"

Notes and References

1. News: 2018-05-15. Shoot fatal, Sygma succombe. Libération.
2. Web site: Luca. Sofri. 2018-04-27. Sygma photo agency shuts down. 21 May 2010. HuffPost.
3. News: Christine. Haughney. 2018-04-27. Photojournalists Balk at Sygma's Digital-Age Terms. Washington Post. 12 October 2000. 0190-8286. www.washingtonpost.com.
4. News: 2018-04-27. Sygma archive. The Guardian. 24 April 2007. 0261-3077. www.theguardian.com.
5. News: 2018-04-27. Gates Adds Sygma to 'Net Archive'. New York Post. 17 June 1999.
6. News: Charles . Goldsmith . Amy . Barrett . The Wall Street Journal . 2018-04-27. Gates's Corbis Enters News Business By Buying French Photo Agency Sygma.
7. News: 2018-05-15. Iconic French photo agency on the brink of collapse. France 24.
8. News: Lieberman. Allyson. Gates adds Sygma to 'net archive'. nypost.com. New York Post. 15 May 2018. 17 June 1999.
9. Book: Lynne. Warren. Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century Photography, 3-Volume Set. Routledge. 15 November 2005. 9781135205430. Google Books.
10. News: 2018-04-27. Corbis to Acquire A Photo Agency. The New York Times. 15 June 1999. 0362-4331. NYTimes.com.
11. News: 2018-05-15. Corbis unveils Sygma archive in France. 26 May 2009. 0307-1235. www.telegraph.co.uk. The Daily Telegraph.
12. Book: Lisa. Tilder. Lisa. Blotstein. Design Ecologies: Essays on the Nature of Design. Chronicle Books. 20 March 2012. 9781568989549. Google Books. 50.
13. News: 2018-04-27. Photographers face two-year wait for Sygma photos - Amateur Photographer. Amateur Photographer. 10 March 2011.
14. Web site: Phil. Coomes. 2018-04-27. BBC – Viewfinder: Photojournalism today.
15. Web site: 2018-04-27. Photo archive move completed. The Bookseller.