This is the first major retrospective exhibition to be held in Europe since the artist's death in August 2004 and displays over five hundred photographs in addition to drawings, paintings, films and documents that cover over seventy years of one of the most important figures of modern times.
The exhibition has been organized by the Centre Pompidou de Paris, in collaboration with Fundación Mapfre, with the participation of the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation. The works come from over twenty international collections, including the Cartier-Bresson Foundation of Paris, the Musée d'art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, the Cinémathèque Française, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York, MOMA of New York and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Cartier-Bresson is known as the "eye of the century" for being a key eyewitness of 20th century history. For the first time, the richness of his work and the diversity of his career as a photographer is on display: from surrealist esthetics to photojournalism or his intimate style of later years. In this way, the work on display goes beyond the "decisive moment" concept that made him famous.
The journey, both chronological and thematic, revolves around three central points: the period from 1926 to 1935, which was marked by his relationship with the surrealist movement, his early years as a photographer and his travels throughout the world. The second section is dedicated to the political commitment of Henri Cartier-Bresson from his return from the United States in 1936 until his visit to New York in 1946. The third sequence starts with the creation of the Magnum Photos agency in 1947 and extends to the early 1970s, when the artist stopped working in photojournalism.
Free guided tours take place from Mondays to Thursdays at 4 pm, 4.30 pm, 5 pm and 5.30 pm and are limited to 15 people. Remember to pick up tickets half an hour before at the ticket office.
Dates.- From 28 June through 7 September, 2014.
Venue.- Fundación Mapfre. Paseo de Recoletos, 23. Madrid, Spain.
Curator.- Clément Chéroux.
