The daughters of well-known French photographer Robert Doisneau, Francine Deroudille and Annette Doisneau, have selected 79 of his photos for an exhibition that is currently on display at Bellas Artes in Mexico City.
These photos were chosen among 450,000 negatives housed at Atelier Robert Doisneau—the artist’s creative space for over 50 years of his life. The exposition is part of the Mano a Mano: France-Mexico
Photographic Cross-Vision Festival, a project between Mexico France as a way of promoting cultural cooperation between these two countries, through the art of photography.
The exposition explores the streets of Paris where the artist spent his childhood. Some photos were taken during his career as a professional photographer at the Renault factory. There are also photographs about the SecondWorld War in France, portraits of celebrities and some of the workhe produced for top magazines, like Vogue and Life.
However, Doisneau is best known around the world for his images of the streets of Paris, and for his ability to capture the French way of life from a poetic and human perspective.
His favorite themes were the Parisian suburbs, the countryside, war, passion and humor, all from an urban vantage point. In short, his photographs have become icons of Parisian life. “This exhibition not only illustrates the poetry of his graphic universe, but the technical composition and evolution of his work.
Visitors will be amazed by the waythe photographer chose to frame and produce his prints, through montages, special effects and trick photography,” explained Francine. Doisneau viewed photography as a way of perceiving the world. “I don’t capture the world as it is, but how I choose to see it. All my life I have had fun making my own little theater, for myself,” he has been quoted as saying.
Essentially, he never abandoned his commitment to solidarity and humanity, and transformed the characters of his photos into real people.
The most commonly shown images by the artist include: “Les pavés” (1929), “Le baiser de I’Hôtel de Ville” (1950), “Les frères” (1936) and “Le regard oblique” (1948). The Palace of Fine Arts has included images and essays by author and journalist Brigitte Ollier and essayist Fabienne Bradu, to complement the exposition. The museum has also organized conferences, roundtable discussions and guided tours by experts in the field.
The exposition is open to the public Tuesday thru Sunday, from 10 am to 6 pm and will be on display until June 29. Free admission on Sundays and discounts are availablethroughout the week.
