Discover the everyday wonders in Robert Doisneau’s photos
Robert Doisneau was a very famous French photographer of the 20th century, who was part of the humanist photography movement and who has been recognized as a pioneer of photo-journalism. His work has been eclectic and varied and has brought him to collaborate with magazines such as Life and Vogue; he worked with writers like Blaise Cendrars and Jacques Prévert and he portraited Alberto Giacometti, Jean Cocteau, Fernand Léger, Georges Braque, and Pablo Picasso with innovative and modern techniques, representing the changing, modern and vibrant spirit of the 1960s and 1970s in Europe. Although he started taking pictures before WWII, he acquired a growing notoriety after 1945.
Robert Doisneau is often remembered for the incredible pictures of Paris’ streets and cafés after the war; his style captures moments of the everyday life, playing with juxtapositions, contrasts among social classes and irony. The photographer applied a playful approach to his job, representing the wonders of life in all their simplicity and beauty. An example of this is his famous photo “Kiss by the Town Hall”, set in Paris, that represents a young couple kissing in the street. The image is delicate, neat, simple, and perfectly captures the emotions and feelings of the lovers, presenting the moment in all its perfect everyday complicity.
The Museum of Ixelles will host, over the coming weeks, an exhibition that enables the spectator to have an overview on Doisneau’s life and work. The exhibition focuses on three subjects: the “wonderful daily” (1970s), the “Palm Springs” (1960s) and “Artists Studios” (1945-1970). The three themes will allow the viewer to understand what inspired Robert Doisneau, and they will show his historical perspective.
The exhibition will last until February 4th, 2018.
