Every week for many, many weeks, I have pulled a photography book from my shelf and made a short Note about it here on Substack. I have done my best to keep up with Notes and have finally given up. I want to commit my time to the people I subscribe to, and those who subscribe to me.
As of today, PHOTOBOOK 🙂 SUNDAY is no longer a Note, but a Post. If you don’t want to receive it, let me know, and I will start a separate publication for photo books. If you are good with a second Post from me each week, tell me that too!
Now, on to this weeks book…
This book was originally a catalogue for an exhibition in Italy, in 2024. It is the story of the many visits made by Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908 - 2004) to Italy over a period of 40-odd years. HCB photographed in Italy for himself and on assignment from the 1930s through the 1970s.
The book contains both individual stand-alone images and good reproductions of essays published with HCB’s photographs. To give you a sense of what these stories used to mean, Life Magazine had a circulation of nearly 5 million in the early 1950s. Paris Match had over one million.
In the book you will find photographs you already know, but equally photographs you more than likely have never seen. There is even a variation on HCB’s classic Abruzzo photograph.
The depth of research and bilingual text (Italian and English) is really excellent. Even if you only look at the photographs, there is a lot of great stuff here!
Worthy of space on your shelf!
Title: Henri Cartier-Bresson et l’Italie / and Italy
Photographer: Henri Cartier-Bresson
Text: Clément Chéroux and Walter Guadagnini
Publisher: Cimorelli Editore / Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson
Year: 2024
The cover and some images from the book, all photographs by Henri Cartier-Bresson:
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