Denise Bellon. A Wandering Gaze

The Museum of Jewish Art and History is dedicating an exceptional retrospective to Denise Bellon, a little-known but essential figure of the 20th century. Through nearly 300 works – photographs, letters, objects and publications – the exhibition ‘A Wandering Eye’ traces the journey of a free, curious and deeply committed woman. Co-founder of Alliance Photo, the first photographic agency of the interwar period, Denise Bellon was a pioneer in the field of photography. A Wandering Eye"* traces the journey of a free-spirited, curious and deeply committed woman. Co-founder of Alliance Photo, the first photographic agency of the interwar period, Bellon made a name for herself with daring reports from the Balkans, Africa and Finland, while sensitively documenting life under the Occupation in Lyon. Her work on the Maison des Éclaireurs Israélites in Moissac, a refuge for Jewish children, bears witness to a rare humanism and a discreet but powerful commitment.

Between surrealism and Jewish memory

Linked to surrealist circles since before the war, Denise Bellon was the official photographer for the movement's exhibitions between 1938 and 1965. Her lens captured the faces of Victor Brauner, Sonia Mossé and André Masson, while immortalising major figures from the École de Paris and the literary world, including Simone de Beauvoir, Jacques Prévert and Henry Miller. Born into a Jewish family from Alsace and Germany, Bellon was able to combine personal memories with a universal perspective, particularly through her photographs of the Jewish community in Djerba in 1947.

An invitation to discover the unusual and the unfamiliar

The exhibition offers an immersion into the world of a photographer who never ceased to question the world with poetry and acuity. Whether it be a gypsy wedding in the Parisian suburbs or a film shoot directed by her daughter Yannick, Denise Bellon reveals the unusual in everyday life. ‘“A wandering gaze”' is much more than a retrospective: it is a sensitive journey through history, art and commitment, carried by a woman whose work finally deserves to be fully recognised.

The photo is on display in the exhibitions of Paris Region.