“No, the Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibition is not extended. Yes, it’s the last day,” a reception agent from the Hélène and Édouard Leclerc Fund responds on the phone, in Landerneau, this Sunday, January 5, 2025. “On the last day, there are always people,” comments- he said, torn between the locker room, the entrances and the telephone. “Of course, I was aware of the existence of the exhibition since June, but you know what it is, we always tell ourselves that we have time,” says Françoise with a smirk, who came from Douarnenez. Without any judgment: the very author of these lines chose this day to take a trip there.
“I am touched by his way of capturing the unexpected”
“It's not always that we have the opportunity to see Cartier-Bresson's photos without having to go to Paris! », rejoices Sophie, also from Douarnenez. “I love him for his spontaneous shots. I remember a photo of a person above a puddle.” This stolen moment is in fact a few meters further away, and was captured in 1932, behind the Saint-Lazare station, in Paris. The photojournalist's work is full of these kinds of images, taken from life. “I am touched by his way of capturing the unexpected,” comments Éric, who left Angers to contemplate the blacks and whites of the artist who died in 2004.
Others feel touched by the political content of the communist and anti-fascist photographer, founder of the Magnum agency. Patrick and Maryse, a couple from Ploudaniel, chat around two photos placed next to each other. Above, a man dressed to the nines proudly displays himself on a staircase in New York. Below, a man sitting on a stoop, helpless, partly hidden. “I didn’t know this photographer. I like the way he shows people suffering, I like his contrasts,” admires Maryse, a retired social worker. For those who missed it, its foundation is located at 79 rue des Archives… in Paris, unfortunately!
France
Art
