Moment(s)

Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a pioneer of modern-day documentary
photography, born in Chanteloupe, Seine-Marne, France in 1908. After
studying painting and with a strong interest in surrealism for the early part
of his life, Cartier-Bresson picked up a camera in 1929, and by 1933, after
spending a year living in Ivory Coast where he discovered Leica cameras,
he had his first exhibit at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York City. In
only a few years, Cartier-Bresson was working for several magazines and
publications, traveling the world as a photographer. He married his first wife,
Ratna Mohini in 1939, divorcing her 30 years later. Soon after, he married
Magnum photographer, Martine Franck with whom he had his daughter,
Melanie. In 1939, he enlisted in the French Army during World War II, only
to be taken as a prisoner of war by Germany and spend 35 months in prison
camps, thought by his loved ones to be dead. However, he managed to escape
in 1943, joined the resistance and organized a photo unit to document the
German occupation. In1945, he photographed the Liberation of Paris.
With the war over and the prevelance of documentary photography on
the rise, Cartier-Bresson founded Magnum Photos in 1947 with peers
Robert Capa, George Rodger, David Seymour, and William Vandivert.
Together with Magnum, they helped raise the status and importance of
photojournalism. By the 1960s, photography had become an appreciated
art form and Cartier-Bresson was considered a master of the craft, having
traveled all over the world as witness to some of history’s most important
events. However, by 1966 he lost faith in the medium, withdrawing his stake
in Magnum and returned to his first passions, drawing and painting. Cartier-
Bresson died in Montjustin, France in August 2003.
He has won a great number of awards and has published over a dozen books
including his most famous, his first book, The Decisive Moment. Today, Cartier-
Bresson lives beyond his life as one of the most notable photographers in
history and a pioneer of street photography.
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Ara Guler
Henri Cartier-Bresson with Leica M3
1964