TITLE_NAME :
01/28/2026 - 05/03/2026
Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson
79 Rue des Archives
75003 Paris
www.henricartierbresson.org/en/expositions/henri-cartier-bresson/
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a convinced European.
While he traveled all over the world, he also explored Europe extensively. After the Second World War, the continent was a vast field of ruins haunted by rupture and desolation. In the context of the Cold War, the construction of the European Union was one of the major geopolitical issues of the time. After producing numerous photographic series for magazine press in Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, and France, Cartier-Bresson wanted to bring them together in a single volume. He did not intend to create a travel book about these countries, as many existed at the time, but rather a portrait of the people who inhabit them. The book was indeed not titled Europe, but The Europeans.
His aim was to show what makes each people of this geographical area unique, while highlighting their shared humanity. Featuring a stunning cover by the Catalan painter Joan Mir., the book was published in 1955 by Verve, as a follow-up to The Decisive Moment. It had never been republished since. The present exhibition brings together some of the most important photographs from the book on the occasion of its reissue.
Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson
79 Rue des Archives
75003 Paris
www.henricartierbresson.org/en/expositions/henri-cartier-bresson/
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a convinced European.
While he traveled all over the world, he also explored Europe extensively. After the Second World War, the continent was a vast field of ruins haunted by rupture and desolation. In the context of the Cold War, the construction of the European Union was one of the major geopolitical issues of the time. After producing numerous photographic series for magazine press in Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, and France, Cartier-Bresson wanted to bring them together in a single volume. He did not intend to create a travel book about these countries, as many existed at the time, but rather a portrait of the people who inhabit them. The book was indeed not titled Europe, but The Europeans.
His aim was to show what makes each people of this geographical area unique, while highlighting their shared humanity. Featuring a stunning cover by the Catalan painter Joan Mir., the book was published in 1955 by Verve, as a follow-up to The Decisive Moment. It had never been republished since. The present exhibition brings together some of the most important photographs from the book on the occasion of its reissue.