Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson

Created by Henri Cartier-Bresson, his wife Martine Franck and their daughter Mélanie, the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation opened its doors in 2003. It holds the co-founder of Magnum Photos and his wife’s rare and precious archives. Moving selections from it are regularly curated in exhibitions, along with works by contemporary photographers.

Henri Cartier-Bresson, a major figure in photography

Henri Cartier-Bresson left a lasting mark on world photographic history. Known for the graphic precision of his compositions he never had to crop, the French artist didn’t miss a single “decisive moment” of his time. His sharp eye focused on the battle of the Spanish Republicans, the victory of the Chinese communists, the last moments of WWII, Gandhi’s movement for peace in India…the list goes on. A pioneer of photojournalism, he also excelled in photographing art. The prolific nature of his work, spanning nearly 70 years, is largely to thank for the creation of such an extraordinarily vast collection of historic images, amounting to nothing short of photographic perfection.

Currently at the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation

On the occasion of the inauguration of its new space, the HCB Foundation presents a new exhibition on the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) and Martin Parr (born 1952). This exhibition reconciles the two photographers, who were separated by a "gulf", as Martin Parr himself describes it, through their views, at three different times, of society in the North of England at work and at leisure.

The photo lives all year long in Paris Region. Discover the most beautiful exhibitions of the moment!