Had to fly up to Paris yesterday for a meeting, as I had the morning free I decided to take in the Henri Cartier Bresson retrospective at the Biblioteque Nationale. Only one word to describe it:FABULOUS. We have probably all seen many of these pictures in print, but seeing the "real thing" is something else! It's a huge exhibtion with something like 300 images, mostly printed to 24 "X30" especially for the show by HCBs long time printer [if you read Frenach get the back copy of the mag "Photo repnses" for a great interview with him including how he has printed many of HCBs most famous images], as some of the original prints from thee 30s, 40s and 50s were also on show, great to see the difference! The show is on until the 27th July, so if you are in or can get to Paris .......................please go! I understand that it will be In Barcelona in the autumn and then?
As an aside, it was intersting to note that the exhibition was busy, but I saw only one other person carrying a camera...................... I had my "2003 Leica" [Ricoh Gr-1] with me and couldn't resist a marvellous shot of a group of people watching a video juxtaposed against a huge print of the well known "Picnic on the Marne", of course the Ricoh does make a tiny motor sound [pretty quiet though] which attracted the attaention of an attendant, who informed me that photography was forbidden in the gallery!............................I wonder what she would have said to HCB? Clive Antibes France
