Henri CARTIER-BRESSON

Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004) was born in Chanteloup-en-Brie, France. He studied art, literature, and English at the University of Cambridge from 1928–29, following early interests in painting and Surrealism. In 1932 a life-long passion for photography began when he discovered the Leica camera. He held his first exhibition in 1933. A candid photographer, widely known as the pioneer of street photography, Cartier-Bresson photographed the coronation of the King and Queen (1937), the liberation of Paris (1945), and in 1947 he co-founded Magnum Photos. From 1947 he spent three years photographing in Asia on behalf of Magnum Photos before returning to Europe to publish his first book, The decisive moment. In 1968 he began curtailing his photography, preferring to concentrate on painting. He took part in many exhibitions, receiving an extraordinary number of  awards such as the Overseas Press Club of America Award (1948, 1954, 1960 and 1964), the Grand Prix National de la Photographie (1981), and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Lucie Awards (2003). His work is held in institutions worldwide. 

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