The Henri Cartier-Bresson Museum Is Opening in Paris

The 20th century photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, who cites the Surrealists for inspiration, failed at fashion photography when hired by Harper’s Bazaar. But he thrived in photojournalism and became a Magnum photographer.
“Photography is not like painting,” Cartier-Bresson told the Washington Post in 1957.

“There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative,” he said. “Oop! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever.”

His namesake photo museum is reopening at a new location in the Parisian district of the Marais on November 6.
Expect to see a solo show by activist and photographer Martine Franck, an early 21st century woman photographer who broke all the rules of women’s role in photojournalism.

“A photograph isn’t necessarily a lie”, she said. “But nor is it the truth. You have to be ready to welcome the unexpected.”