Henri Cartier-Bresson: A Biography

The definitive biography of the greatest photographer of modern times - a vital addition to the library of everyone with an interest in photography

Henri Cartier-Bresson was the eye of the 20th century. His lens chronicled the decisive moments of his time – from Chinese communist victories to the Spanish Civil War and the Liberation of Paris. A co-founder of Magnum Photos, Cartier-Bresson produced unparalleled portraits of his contemporaries, capturing the spirit of Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre and William Faulkner.

Cartier-Bresson took Pierre Assouline into his confidence over a number of years, detailing his youthful devotion to surrealism, lifelong passion for drawing, and experiences of war and prison camps. This sensitive biography emerges from a meeting of two minds, revealed with the same truth as one of Cartier Bresson’s photographs.

Contents List:

Introduction • 1. Family Threads: 1908–27 • 2. The Decisive Moments 1927–31 • 3. The Artist in Search of His Medium 1932–35 • 4. The End of the Old World 1936–39 • 5. Nationality: Escapee 1939–46 • 6. From New York to New Delhi 1946–50 • 7. The World is His Studio 1950–70 • 8. Towards Another Life 1970–2004

About the Author:

Pierre Assouline has published several biographies of cultural figures, among them books on Georges Simenon and Hergé.