Clément Chéroux

Described as ‘magnificent’ by the Good Book Guide, this lavishly illustrated monograph traces Cartier-Bresson’s development as a photographer, activist, journalist and artist. This is an indispensable work for lovers of photography and admirers of Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004), whose influence continues to endure so powerfully today. In addition to some of his best-known photographs, here are many seldom seen or unpublished images, and some rarities in colour as well as black and white. His work embraced art, politics, revolution and war. But more powerful than any of these overarching themes was his evident concern for the human individual at every social level. Cartier-Bresson’s observations of the effects of poverty and revolution around the world led directly to his pioneering photojournalism, and his co-founding of Magnum Photos. He also became renowned for his penetrating portraits of the most prominent figures of his time: Cartier-Bresson’s biographer Pierre Assouline called him ‘the eye of the century’.

Offering a new perspective on Weegee’s oeuvre, Society of the Spectacle presents the photographer’s iconic images alongside lesser-known works. Weegee’s macabre tabloid photographs of murdered gangsters, bodies trapped in crashed cars, slums consumed by fire, and other poignant records of New York’s nocturnal low life in the 1930s and 40s are the stuff of legend. Lesser-known, however, is the work he created in his later years, when he satirized Hollywood, mocking its fleeting glory, jubilant crowds, and social scenes, and created celebrity portraits that he delighted in distorting using a palette of technical tricks. And herein lies the paradox of Weegee: how can two such wildly different bodies of work co-exist? Offering the first evaluation of the famed photographer’s career in its entirety, this book reconciles the two sides of Weegee by showing how the ‘spectacle’ was the unifying theme of his work. Over 130 images, some iconic, some more rarely seen, are accompanied by essays that explore the consistent themes throughout Weegee’s career, his documentary and photojournalism work, and his last great series taken on the set of Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 film Dr. Strangelove.

The coronation of George VI on 12 May 1937 was one of the biggest media events of the interwar period. While other photographers focused on the new King, his family and the ceremonial splendour of the day, Henri Cartier-Bresson turned his lens on the crowds that gathered in the streets of London to watch the pageantry. In a witty reversal of the expected order of proceedings, he shows us ordinary people of all ages and walks of life, some climbing on monuments or each other’s shoulders, others straining to get a better view with cardboard periscopes and mirrors on sticks. A few even slump on the ground, the festivities having proved too much. Presented alongside contemporary news clippings from around the world, these remarkable images reflect Cartier-Bresson’s unmistakeable photographic eye and capture the British public at a unique historical moment.

Essays on a range of photographic topics by the recently appointed chief curator of photography at MoMA. This volume offers a selection of essays by the renowned photography historian Cl ment Ch roux. Ch roux, appointed chief curator of photography at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York in 2020, takes on a variety of topics, from the history of vernacular photography to the influence of documentary photography on Surrealism. The texts, published together in one volume for the first time and newly translated into English, reflect the breadth of Ch roux's thinking, the rigor of his approach, and his endless curiosity about photographs. In this strikingly designed and generously illustrated volume, Ch roux presents unique case studies and untold stories. He discusses ways of sharing images, from the nineteenth century to the digital age; considers the utopian ideals of early photography; and analyzes the duality of amateur photography. Among other things, he describes the appeal of photographs snapped from a speeding train and explains historical value of first-generation prints of photographs. Through an analysis of key photographs taken on 9/11, Ch roux shows that the same six images were seen again and again in the press. Widely ranging, erudite, and engaging, these essays present Ch roux's innovative investigations of the histories of photography.

Over nearly eight decades, Louis Stettner (1922-2016) defined a singular poetic vision in photography, honing a style influenced by both American street photography and French humanism. Stettner began working in the 1930s, becoming a member of the Photo League in New York and befriending Lisette Model, Paul Strand, and Weegee. After serving in the U.S. Army as a combat photographer, he moved to Paris in 1947, where he met the influential street photographer Brassaï. The following decades were the most important in his career, as he traveled back and forth between Paris and New York and found inspiration in that geographical duality. Published to celebrate a major acquisition of Stettner’s prints by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, this beautiful volume presents iconic photographs from the entirety of Stettner’s career, along with 19 essays about photography written by Stettner himself, originally published in the iconic magazine Camera 35 from 1971 to 1979, as well as a transcription of Stettner’s fundamental lecture, “Photography: Style & Reality,” delivered at the International Center of Photography in 2002.

Presented for the first time in English, this volume brings together twelve notable interviews and conversations with Henri Cartier-Bresson carried out between 1951 and 1998. While many of us are acquainted with his images, there are so few texts available by Cartier-Bresson on his photographic process. These verbal, primary accounts capture the spirit of the master photographer and serve as a lasting document of his life and work, which has inspired generations of photographers and artists. Here, Cartier-Bresson speaks passionately, with metaphors and similes, about the world and photography. A man of principles shaped by the evolving eras of the twentieth century, his major influences included Surrealism, European politics of the 1930s and ’40s, the Second World War, and his experiences with Magnum as cofounder and reporter. This book illuminates his thoughts, personality, and reflections on a seminal career. In his own words: “[Photography] is a way of questioning the world and questioning yourself at the same time. . . . It entails a discipline. For me, freedom is a basic frame of reference, and inside that frame are all the possible variations. Everything, everything, everything. But it is within a frame. The important thing is the sense of limit. And visually, it is the sense of form. Form is important. The structure of things. The space.”

Zum 100. Geburtstag von Henri Cartier-Bresson am 22. August dieses Jahres legt der französische Schriftsteller und Photohistoriker Cl?ment Ch?roux eine erste wissenschaftliche und reich bebilderte Biographie dieses Jahrhundertkünstlers vor. Die Lebensgeschichte Henri Cartier-Bressons liest sich wie ein Roman. Der begabte junge Mann, der aus einer wohlhabenden Pariser Industriellenfamilie stammte, studierte zunächst Malerei bei Andr? Lhote, bevor er im Kreis der Surrealisten Zaungast wird, um dann bei Jean Renoir die Anfänge von Film- und Schauspielkunst zu erlernen. Es dauerte nicht lange, bis Henri Cartier-Bresson seine wahre Leidenschaft entdeckt. Sie geht einher mit der Entwicklung einer deutschen Erfindung, der Kleinbildkamera von Leica. In den Händen von Henri Cartier-Bresson entwickelte sich dieser Apparat zu einem magischen Instrument, und fortan sind es Henri Cartier-Bresson und die Leica-Photographie in Symbiose, die gemeinsam die Lichtbildkunst des Jahrhunderts revolutionieren. Mechanisch-technische und geistig-artistische Schnelligkeit haben in den Bildern von Henri Cartier-Bresson zueinander gefunden. Eine Liaison, die Epoche machte, neue, sehr hohe Maßstäbe setzte und trotz vieler Versuche, sie zu kopieren, bis heute einzigartig geblieben ist.

From his early encounters with the Surrealists, his film work and his experiences in the Second World War, to the development of his own personal aesthetic, the concept of the decisive moment, and the foundation of Magnum Photos, Henri Cartier-Bresson's influence on the world has been profound. This book tells his life story through his images.