Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Europeans

Europe in reconstruction as seen by Henri Cartier-Bresson. Published by Verve in 1955, three years after the resounding success of The Decisive Moment, The Europeans brings together 114 photographs taken by Henri Cartier-Bresson between 1950 and 1955 across ten European countries. Taken during assignments for Harper’s Bazaar, Life, Holiday, and Paris Match, these images form a unique visual testimony of post-war Europe in the midst of reconstruction. From the revelers of Bastille Day in Paris to midnight masses in the Abruzzi, and from the funeral of George VI to the dockworkers of Hamburg, The Europeans does not aim to provide an exhaustive inventory, but rather composes a vibrant portrait of the inhabitants of a continent undergoing profound change. Beyond national borders, the book evokes a broader sense of European identity, shaped as much by everyday life as by the major upheavals of the time. The Europeans shared with The Decisive Moment a similar format, a sober and elegant layout, high-quality printing, and a cover designed by a renowned artist (Joan Miró for The Europeans, echoing Matisse’s cover for The Decisive Moment). As with The Decisive Moment in 2024, the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson now offers a reissue of The Europeans in a smaller, more manageable and accessible format, while remaining faithful to the spirit of the original edition. Seventy years after its first publication, this reissue provides a unique opportunity to rediscover a major work of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s oeuvre, enriched with an unpublished text by Clément Chéroux that places the work in its historical and artistic context.