The Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation joins forces with the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation to honour the extraordinary artist couple Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) and Martine Franck (1938-2012), with a parallel tribute that is on display in both its museums, in Athens and Andros, from July 3 to October 27, 2024. The works on display, that are part of the collection of the Fondation Cartier-Bresson, give visitors the opportunity to appreciate the particular gaze of both photographers. The works on display, that are part of the collection of the Fondation Cartier-Bresson, give visitors the opportunity to appreciate the particular gaze of both photographers, avoiding any confrontation or comparison.

The exhibitions are accompanied by a detailed catalogue featuring texts by the three curators, namely the Director of the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson Clément Chéroux, the Collection Curator of the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson Aude Raimbault and the Head of Collections of the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation Marie Koutsomallis-Moreau.

Under the auspices of the French Ministry of Culture

Henri Cartier-Bresson

03.07 - 27.10.2024

The tribute to Henri Cartier-Bresson showcased at the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation’s Museum in Athens consists of two independent thematic sections and has been designed to present his most iconic photographs while at the same time avoiding the overfamiliar: the first section is dedicated to his unique album The Decisive Moment (Images à la sauvette) and the second section features photographs he took during his three different travels to Greece.

“I observe. I’m not trying to please people. The only thing that interests me in photography is the immediate aspect. To be there and present: “Bang!” It doesn’t matter what kind of an event it is, because every event is worthwhile in its own right”

Henri Cartier-Bresson

The Decisive Moment

The monumental album The Decisive Moment, described by Robert Capa as «A Bible for photographers», was published in 1952 by Tériade with the American publishing house Simon & Schuster. 76 out of the overall 126 photographs included in the album will go on display at the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation, accompanied by vintage prints and archive material, that present the decades that were most crucial in Cartier-Bresson’s life, namely 1932-1952. His travels to countries like France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, India, China, Indonesia and Burma reveal a person torn between a personal interpretation of his inner world and a more observational approach of the outside world.

Greece

For the first time, the photographs Cartier-Bresson took during his three trips to Greece in 1937, 1953 and 1961, come together and go on display at the exhibition section titled Greece. The photographs – most of them unpublished – are essentially a journey to different regions and archaeological sites around Greece and are accompanied by rich and unpublished archive material.

During his first trip, in 1937, the photographer visited places like Athens, Galaxidi, Delphi, Mycenae, Hydra and Spetses. The second time he visited Greece, in 1953, he stayed for three weeks during which he focused on archaeological sites while also capturing moments of daily life in Athens as well as wandering in Peloponissos and Central Greece. In his third visit, in 1961, as a correspondent of Vogue and Holiday magazines his itinerary was planned in collaboration with the Greek National Tourism Organisation and gave him the opportunity to visit, among other places, Thessaly, Epirus and the Cycladic islands.

Guided tours of the Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibition will be taking place throughout the tribute while a specially designed interactive guided tour has been scheduled for Friday July 5 and 12 as well as every Friday after August 30. Group or private guided tours can also take place upon arrangement, while educational programmes for children have been scheduled for September.

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