©Anaïs Costet
François Hébel, director of the Cartier-Bresson Foundation, has reason to be satisfied. By moving to the Marais (from the Montparnasse district) two years ago, the institution dedicated to the man of the “decisive moment” doubled its number of visitors.
Mythical figure of the ninth art, this pioneer of “Street photography” revolutionized the genre by establishing a link between art photography and journalism.
Globe-trotter, Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) is also a genius portraitist, whether of anonymous people or celebrities like Giacometti, Sartre, Picasso, Leonor Fini, Henri Matisse, Paul Claudel or Pierre Bonnard as well as a witness to its time, capturing almost all the major events of the latter part of the XNUMXth century.
A former resistance fighter, this master of black and white revolutionized photographic technique with his Leica 50mm and founded the prestigious Magnum photographic agency with Robert Capa.
In a brand new building on rue des Archives, the foundation ensures the conservation and presentation of the prodigious work of Cartier-Bresson. Its documentary collection includes nearly 50 prints, 000 negatives and contact sheets, 200 letters and manuscripts.
For a time at the helm of the Rencontres Photographiques d'Arles, François Hébel also tells us about his Marais.
Text: Katia Barillot
Video: Anaïs Costet – Instagram
27.10.20
