Inspiration Mexico

• Henri Cartier-Bresson, Juchitán, Mexique, 1934–1935
  © Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos
• Henri Cartier-Bresson, Natcho Aguirre, Santa Clara, Mexique, 1934–1935
  © Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos
• Helen Levitt, Mexico City, 1941
  © Film Documents LLC, courtesy Galerie Thomas Zander, Cologne
• Helen Levitt, Tacubaya, Mexico City, 1941
  © Film Documents LLC, courtesy Galerie Thomas Zander, Cologne
• Paul Strand, Anna Attinga Frafra, Accra, Ghana, 1951
  © Aperture Foundation Inc., Paul Strand Archive. Fundación MAPFRE Collections

Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson presents a unique visual dialogue between the works of Helen Levitt (1913–2009) and Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004). When the two Leica photographers first met in New York in spring 1935,  Cartier-Bresson had just spent a year in Mexico, while Levitt had just started documenting local communities in her native New York. In 1941 Levitt, fascinated by Cartier-Bresson’s work, decided to travel to Mexico herself. For both photographers, their respective visits proved to be pivotal turning points at the beginning of their long careers when they each forged their personal approaches to photography.

In parallel to this joint exhibition, the Fondation HCB also offers a new perspective on the oeuvre of American photographer Paul Strand (1890–1976). While he is largely celebrated as a pioneer of Straight Photography, this showcase also addresses the deeply political dimension of his work. Curated by Clément Chéroux, the selection comprises some 120 prints from the collection of the Fundación MAPFRE, Madrid, along with the film ‘Manhatta’ (1921) by Paul Strand and Charles Sheeler, as well as several works on loan from the Centre Pompidou.