Robert Doisneau. Paris - by Jean Claude Gautrand (Hardcover)

About the Book

Discover the life and work of Robert Doisneau, one of the most popular Parisian photographers, with this comprehensive monograph. Doisneau's longtime friend and TASCHEN author Jean Claude Gautrand compiled this selection, for which he had unlimited access to the photographer's extensive archives.

Book Synopsis

As sensitive to human suffering as to the simple pleasures of life, Robert Doisneau is one of the most celebrated exponents of the Photographie humaniste that swept through the 1950s. Cherished in particular for his soulful portraits of Paris, Doisneau demonstrated a unique ability to find - and perfectly frame - charismatic characters, entertaining episodes, and fleeting moments of humor and affection.

A summation of a spectacular career, this extensive Doisneau collection includes all his best-loved images from Paris alongside many lesser-known compositions which equally rejoice in "the ordinary gestures of ordinary people in ordinary situations." The many quotations from the photographer throughout the volume immerse the reader in Doisneau's thoughts and give verbal expression to the sensitivity, warmth, and wit which characterize his pictures.

Through the images, we are transported to the grim suburbs of Doisneau's youth; the world of manual labor whose nobility he so admired; and to the studios of the many groundbreaking artists that Doisneau captured in moments of reflection and creativity. A number of color shots of the transformed suburbs of Doisneau's childhood reveal a different, more critical eye to the master photographer.

For this new monograph on all aspects of the life and oeuvre of Robert Doisneau, his longtime friend and TASCHEN author Jean Claude Gautrand had unlimited access to the extensive photo archive Atelier Robert Doisneau. The preface is by Doisneau's daughters Francine Deroudille and Annette Doisneau.

Review Quotes

"A magnificent book... Doisneau does not seek the sensational, but the fundamental in life. The monograph Paris brings it all together in a congenial way. Chapeau, bravo!"-- "Der Standard"

"It's quite possible that you won't be able to get customers out of the store once the book is open: here you can flick through photos of the highest perfection, through the social history, through everyday life, humor, emotions. Terrific."-- "Börsenblatt"

"This book touches upon every aspect of Doisneau's life and work in Paris, his favorite stomping ground."-- "Réponses Photo"

"A beautiful book."-- "The New European"

"The ultimate illustrated volume on the life's work of that wonderful French 'poet of the streets.'"-- "FotoMagazin"