Featuring 300 of his most famous works, as well as some new discoveries, this retrospective of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s work revolves around 23 portraits that punctuate the exhibition’s sections, placing the photographer in his time, at specific moments of his career. These portraits form the backbone of the exhibition, around which his photographic works are grouped.

There is not just one Henri Cartier-Bresson, but several distinct personas. The young man, deeply influenced by Surrealism, who traveled to Africa, Italy, and Mexico in the early 1930s was already a different person by the end of the decade, when he joined the communists to fight the rise of fascism in Europe. After the Second World War, yet another persona emerged when he founded the Magnum Photos agency and traveled the world to capture it through his lens. Most books and monographic exhibitions dedicated to the photographer have tried to argue for the stylistic unity of his work. In contrast to this unifying and perhaps reductive approach, this Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibition aims to highlight the diversity of his photographic approach across different periods. Through the history of this multifaceted eye, this major retrospective also retraces the story of the twentieth century.

“The Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibition in Landerneau this summer is a groundbreaking event: it is the first retrospective of the artist in Brittany and the first exhibition dedicated to photography at the Fonds Leclerc! This alone motivated us to embark on this project and offer you the chance to encounter the artist who was called “the eye of the century.” Through his gaze, we rediscover all the continents and societies that he explored. This historic work remains remarkably relevant.”
- Michel-Edouard Leclerc