The Théâtre de la Photographie et de l’Image in Nice is offering an exhibition dedicated to the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson, until January 24, 2016.
In the lineage of the great Masters of Photography, following August Sander, Kertesz, Brassaï, Henri Cartier-Bresson is one of the greatest photographers of our time.
This retrospective is being presented for the first time in the region.
This exhibition, featuring over 120 black and white photographs, is organized in collaboration with Magnum Photos and the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation.
Henri Cartier-Bresson is considered a pioneer of photojournalism combined with art photography. He is often referred to by the three letters HCB.
In 1947, with Robert CAPA, David ‘Chim’ SEYMOUR, William VANDIVERT, and George RODGER, he founded the renowned cooperative agency Magnum Photos. In 2003, at the age of ninety-five (a year before his death), a foundation bearing his name was established in Paris to ensure the preservation of his work as well as to support and exhibit photographers he felt close to.
Known for his knife-edge precision and the graphic quality of his compositions (never cropped in printing), he especially made his mark in street reportage, depicting the picturesque or significant aspects of everyday life (Des Européens). The concept of the “decisive moment” is often used regarding his photos, but it might be considered too reductive, with preference given to the concept of “photographic shot,” which takes context into account.
A mythical figure of 20th-century photography, his longevity allowed him to witness and capture major events that marked its history. One of his biographers (Pierre Assouline) describes him as “the eye of the century.”
