Lecture
The Heirs of Cartier-Bresson
Saturday, March 6, 2027Lecture by Léa Lefebvre
Who did Henri Cartier-Bresson inspire? What remains today of his way of seeing the world? From street photography and the “decisive moment” to the founding of Magnum and the development of humanist photography, Cartier-Bresson shaped several generations of photographers. More than a style, he passed on a way of looking, observing, and using photography as a means of bearing witness to the world. Following in his footsteps, some continue to capture moments in order to tell the story of the major events of their time, while others adapt or deconstruct the codes of humanist photography. At the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first, as societies change and images multiply, how do photographers continue to bear witness to the world? Is it still possible to photograph spontaneously in the street? To capture the moment on the fly?
About the speaker
Léa Lefebvre
In her writing and research, Léa Lefebvre approaches the world through the intersection of its political, social, and artistic contexts. An independent art history lecturer, she teaches contemporary art history and the history of photography at Sciences Po Aix, among other institutions.
She holds degrees in art history, political science, and cultural policy, and focuses her research on the notion of subversion.
As an independent curator, she has worked in galleries in Marseille and co-founded an artists’ collective dedicated to the production of artworks and exhibitions. She supports emerging artists while collaborating with several art and general-interest magazines.