The international photojournalism community is mourning the loss of Jean-François Leroy, founder and long-time director of Visa pour l'Image, who passed away on Monday 31 August 2026.
For almost four decades, Jean-François dedicated himself to defending photojournalism and those behind the images that help us understand our world. Through Visa pour l'Image, which he founded in Perpignan in 1989, he created far more than an annual festival. He created an international meeting place for photographers, editors, agencies and the wider visual media community, while giving generations of photojournalists a platform to tell stories that might otherwise have remained unseen.
Under his direction, hundreds of exhibitions and screenings brought some of the most important stories of our time to audiences in Perpignan, establishing the city as an internationally recognised centre for photojournalism.
For CEPIC, the relationship with Visa pour l'Image goes back more than three decades. CEPIC first attended Visa in 1995, beginning a long relationship with the festival and with Perpignan. Jean-François helped establish those early connections, alongside Jean Desaunois of Imapress, then Vice President of CEPIC, and over the years CEPIC representatives were welcomed to the city on numerous occasions.
Jean-François remained supportive of CEPIC and its work, even when our respective perspectives on the relationship between photographers and agencies did not always align. Perhaps fittingly, it was this very relationship that became the subject of a CEPIC conference held at Visa around a decade ago, bringing photographers and photographic agencies together for an open discussion about their respective roles within the industry.
With Jean-François' support, CEPIC also organised a photography exhibition during the festival – one of many examples of a relationship built over decades around a shared belief in the importance of photography.
His loss feels particularly significant today.
At a time when artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing the way images are created, consumed and trusted, Jean-François remained an uncompromising advocate for photography as a means of documenting reality. In his editorial for the 38th edition of Visa pour l'Image, he once again addressed the challenges posed by AI and misinformation, while defending the essential role of professional journalism and reliable, verified information.
Reflecting on his passing, CEPIC President Gilles Devicq paid tribute to Jean-François' lifelong commitment:
"His unwavering commitment to supporting photographers around the world, and the hundreds of exhibitions and screenings presented in Perpignan over so many years, undoubtedly helped raise public awareness of the often invisible realities of our time."
He continued:
"Jean-François was a source of inspiration to us all and a precious bulwark against the challenges we face today. His legacy will remain a light for all those who, like him, believe in the power of images to reveal reality."
That legacy can be seen throughout Perpignan this week.
Members of the CEPIC team, including President Gilles Devicq, Executive Director Sylvie Fodor, Vice President Philippe François and Board Member Petar Glebov, are attending Visa pour l'Image, which will inevitably feel very different without the man who shaped it for so many years.
Jean-François' voice, convictions and determination have left an indelible mark on photojournalism. His work helped photographers tell the stories that needed to be seen and helped ensure those images reached audiences around the world.
At a moment when the authenticity and credibility of visual information have perhaps never mattered more, his belief in the power of photography to bear witness to reality feels especially important.
CEPIC extends its deepest condolences to Jean-François' family, friends, and the entire Visa pour l'Image team.
He will be deeply missed, but the work he championed, the photographers he supported and the festival he built leave an extraordinary legacy for the visual media community.