Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Decisive Moment examines Cartier-Bresson’s influential publication, widely considered to be one of the most important photobooks of the twentieth century. Pioneering for its emphasis on the photograph itself as a unique narrative form, The Decisive Moment was described by Robert Capa as “a Bible for photographers.” Originally titled Images à la Sauvette (“images on the run”) in the French, the book was published in English with a new title, The Decisive Moment, which unintentionally imposed the motto which would define Cartier-Bresson’s work. The exhibition details how the decisions made by the collaborators in this major project—including Cartier-Bresson, French art publisher Tériade, American publisher Simon & Schuster, and Henri Matisse, who designed the book’s cover—have shaped our understanding of Cartier-Bresson’s photographs. Through vintage gelatin silver prints, first-edition publications, periodicals, and correspondence, Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Decisive Moment brings new insights to this iconic work.
Henri Cartier-Bresson
The Decisive Moment
May 23 – September 2, 2018
ICP Museum
250 Bowery, New York, NY, United States
www.icp.org
Henri Cartier-Bresson, The Decisive Moment (Simon & Schuster, 1952), p. 34, Tehuantepec, Mexico, 1934. © Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum Photos.
Henri Cartier-Bresson, The Decisive Moment (Simon & Schuster, 1952), p. 19-20, Sunday on the Banks of the Seine, France, 1938. © Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum Photos.
Henri Cartier-Bresson, The Decisive Moment (Simon & Schuster, 1952), p. 68, Truman Capote, New Orleans, United States, July 1946. © Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum Photos.
Henri Cartier-Bresson, The Decisive Moment (Simon & Schuster, 1952), p. 93, A Refugee Camp, Kurukshetra, India, 1947. © Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum Photos.
Henri Cartier-Bresson, The Decisive Moment (Simon & Schuster, 1952), p. 69, Henri Matisse and His Model Micaela Avogadro, Vence, France, 1944. © Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum Photos.
Henri Cartier-Bresson, The Decisive Moment (Simon & Schuster, 1952), p. 25–26, Italy, 1933. © Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum Photos.
