Henri Cartier-Bresson : China 1948-1949, 1958

In December 1948, Henri Cartier-Bresson travelled to China at the request of Life magazine. He stayed for ten months and captured some of the most spectacular moments in Chinas history: he photographed Beijing in the last days of the Kuomintang, and then headed back to Shanghai, where he recorded the new regimes takeover. Moreover, in 1958, Henri Cartier-Bresson was one of the first Western photographers to go back to China to explore the changes that had occurred over the preceding decade. The picture stories he sent to Magnum and Life on a regular basis played a key role in Westerners understanding of Chinese political events. Many of these images are among the most significant photographs in Cartier-Bressons oeuvre; his empathy with the populace and sense of responsibility as a witness making them an important part of his legacy.

Henri Cartier-Bresson in China allows these photographs to be re-examined along with all of the documents that were preserved: the photographers captions and comments, contact sheets and abundant correspondence, as well as the published versions that appeared in both American and European magazines. A welcome addition to any photography lovers bookshelf, this is an exciting new volume on one of the 20th centurys most important photographers.

Featured in the December 2019 Art newsletter.
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