Product Description

Henri Cartier-Bresson's famous scrapbook from the 1940s, published in its entirety for the first time.

Henri Cartier-Bresson was taken prisoner by the Germans in 1940. After two unsuccessful attempts, he managed to escape in 1943. During this period, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, assuming that the photographer had died in the war, started preparing what they thought would be a posthumous exhibition of his work. When he reappeared, Cartier-Bresson was delighted to learn of the exhibition and decided to review his entire oeuvre and curate it himself.

In 1946 Cartier-Bresson traveled to New York with about 300 prints in his suitcase, bought a scrapbook, glued in the photos, and brought that album to MoMA's curators. His exhibition there, a celebration of his survival, opened on February 4, 1947.

In the 1990s, Cartier-Bresson once again turned his attention to this scrapbook. Following his death in 2004, the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, the present owner of the prints, finished the job of restoring them, making it possible to bring a large body of his extraordinary work to the public, images that have now become a memorial collection after all.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #83957 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Coinciding with a recent exhibition jointly curated by the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson and the International Center of Photography, this splendid selection of more than 300 images presents the iconic French photographer's famous 1930s–1940s scrapbook. Published in its entirety for the first time, it contains many of the pictures that cemented Cartier-Bresson's reputation as one of the 20th century's defining image makers. During World War II, the Museum of Modern Art arranged what its curators thought would be a posthumous exhibition of his work, following his capture by the Germans in 1940. Four years later, the museum discovered that Cartier-Bresson had escaped and survived in hiding. He gladly collaborated with MoMA and brought 300 prints in a scrapbook to New York. Now handsomely reprinted, the collection spans from 1932 to 1946, and includes vivid portraits of Matisse, Picasso, Bonnard and Giacometti, as well as street photography, assigned photo essays and reportage of France's tumultuous war years. Image after striking image reveals Cartier-Bresson's consistency in capturing poignant moments in perfectly composed frames. The scrapbook is notable both for the history and the personalities it records, and for Cartier-Bresson's miraculous ability to be at the right place at the right time. (Apr.)
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About the Author
Agnès Sire is the Director of the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Customer Reviews

Excellent
At first view it was very strange to see such tiny (9X12 cm) photos at large pages.Then you become to realize the author's plan to merge you into the world of HCB and you live his life reading this book as if with your pocket full of those small scrap pictures. Very recommended

Armen

An essential book
For a photographer, one of the few necessary books. HCB enacted a miracle in the 1930s w/his Leica, and here's the record of how this genius did it--a record that makes his accomplishment seem only that much more extraordinary. I think the printing of the book could have been a shade better, but that's mere grousing. If you want to understand late 20th-century photography, start here.

Process of Selection
I have liked HCB for about six years. I first saw his picture where a man, caught in mid-air,jumps across a puddle. I still think that this is one of the best photographs ever made.
In the scrapbook, the reader gets to see the many different shots, that made up the bundle from which one image got selected to be published.
While quite a few of the images not selected have their own charm, the finally published image does usually stand. A great look behind the scene of HCB photos, but also a great visual retrospective of his life.
Excellent book with superbly printed photographs.