In Hyères, France, Henri Cartier-Bresson captured the instant when an ever-moving image—in this case, a bicyclist streaking by an iron railing—achieves a timeless harmony of form, expression, and content. An early work, taken before Cartier-Bresson was a professional photographer, this picture of the world in flux shows spontaneity, intuition, and a Surrealist whimsy. Cartier-Bresson’s keen sense of composition derived, in part, from his training as a painter, as well as an acknowledged indebtedness to André Kertész. Both photographers used a miniature Leica camera, which allowed for thirty-six exposures in quick succession and, because of its compact serviceability, acted as a true extension of the eye. So definite was Cartier-Bresson’s rapid-fire release of the shutter that he used the entire negative of the final print, unretouched and unmanipulated. This remarkable capacity to seize life’s calculated and coincidental ambiguities explains why his is one of the most influential visions of the twentieth century. In addition to his later celebrated photojournalistic works, Cartier-Bresson produced two films, published more than a dozen books, and in 1947 helped establish the collaborative photography agency Magnum.
Date
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Unmarked recto; inscribed verso, center, in blue ink "Henri Cartier-Bresson, 31 rue de Lisbonne, Paris 8";
verso, center, in pencil: "1" [encircled]; verso, bottom right, in red pencil: "B 418"; verso, lower bottom, in pencil: "37.648 J. Levy"; verso, top left, in pencil: "059"
Julien Levy Collection, Gift of Jean and Julien Levy
Reference Number
1975.1134
Extended information about this artwork
Travis, David. 1976. “Photographs from the Julien Levy Collection: Starting with Atget.” Exh. cat. Art Institute of Chicago. p. 36, cat. 36.
Phillips, Sandra S., David Travis, and Weston J. Naef. 1985. “André Kertész: Of Paris and New York.” Exh. cat. Art Institute of Chicago/Metropolitan Museum of Art/Thames and Hudson. p. 59. fig. 2.
Greenough, Sarah, Joel Snyder, David Travis and Colin Westerbeck. 1989. “On the Art of Fixing a Shadow: One Hundred and Fifty Years of Photography.” Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art/The Art Institute of Chicago. p. 296. cat. 237.
Wood, James N. and Teri J. Edelstein. 1997. “The Art Institute of Chicago: The Essential Guide.” Publications Department of the Art Institute of Chicago. p 180.
Wood, James N. 2000. “Treasures from The Art Institute of Chicago.” Hudson Hills Press, Inc. p. 270.
Wood, James N. 2003. “The Art Institute of Chicago: The Essential Guide - Revised Edition.” Publications Department of the Art Institute of Chicago. p 180.
Sire, Agnes and William Ewing. 2004. “Documentary and Anti-Graphic Photographs; Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans.” Steidl. p. 123
Art Institute of Chicago, “Photographs from the Julien Levy Collection: Starting with Atget,” December 11, 1976–February 20, 1977; traveled to the International Center of Photography, New York, April 21-May 29, 1977; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, November 4-December 18 1977; Fogg Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts, January 13-Ferbruary 26, 1978; Lakeview Center for the Arts and Sciences, Peoria, Illinois, March 16-April 30, 1978; and Cincinnati Art Museum, November 17-December 24, 1978. (David Travis)
Chicago, Illinois, Art Institute of Chicago, “A History of Photography from Chicago Collection,” April 24–June 6, 1982.
Washington D.C., National Gallery of Art, “On the Art of Fixing a Shadow: One Hundred and Fifty Years of Photography,” May 7–July 30, 1989; traveled to The Art Institute of Chicago, September 16–November 26, 1989; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, December 21, 1989–February 25, 1990.
Berlin, Germany, Berlinishe Galerie, “Sprung in die Zeit,” November 20, 1992–January 17, 1993.
Art Institute of Chicago, “Bystander: A History of Street Photography,” December 10, 1994-April 16, 1995; traveled to the San Jose Museum of Art, January 16-April 4, 1999. (Colin Westerbeck)
Art Institute of Chicago, “Hot Streaks,” February 21–May 2, 2004. (David Travis)
Paris, France, Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation “Documentary and Anti-Graphic Photography: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans and Manuel Alvarez-Bravo,” September 7–December 22, 2004; traveled to Switzerland, Musee de L’Elysee, February 10–April 10, 2005.
Art Institute of Chicago, “Henri Cartier-Bresson and the Art and Photography of Paris,” September 20, 2008–January 4, 2009. (David Travis)
NY, NY, The Museum of Modern Art, “Henri Cartier Bresson: The Modern Century,” April 11-June 28, 2010: traveled to the Art Institute of Chicago, July 24-October 3, 2010; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, October 30, 2010-January 30, 2011; High Museum of Art, Atlanta, February 19-May 15, 2011. (Peter Galassi) (only exhibited in Chicago)
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