Robert Doisneau’s Paris
Curated by Graham Howe
L'information (Knowledge), Paris, 1956
Le Pains de Picasso (Picasso's Bread), Vallauris, 1952
Le Baiser de l'Hotel de Ville (Kiss at the Hotel de Ville), Paris, 1950
Le Regard Oblique (The sideways Glance), Paris, 1949
L'aéroplane de Papa (Papa's Airplane), Choisy-le-Roi, 1934
Robert Doisneau’s Paris presents a vivid portrait of mid-20th-century Paris as a dynamic, humanist stage, captured through the lens of one of France’s most beloved photographers. Known for his wit and empathy, Doisneau (1912–1994) chronicled the city's everyday theater—its comedy, tragedy, and fleeting moments—on the streets, in cafés, and across the banlieues.
Influenced by Kertész, Atget, and Cartier-Bresson, and sharing kinship with Brassai, Ronis, and Izis, Doisneau depicted both the staged and the spontaneous as one seamless expression of life. Born in Gentilly, he began as an engraver before working in advertising, later joining the French Resistance and photographing both wartime and postwar France. His iconic image Le Baiser de l’Hôtel de Ville (1950) symbolizes youthful love and remains a hallmark of French photographic culture.
Featuring 140 images, this exhibition captures Paris and its people with affection, humor, and a profound sense of storytelling during a time of transformation.
WORKS
140
DIMENSIONS
16 x 20 (inches)
SPACE REQUIREMENTS
Aprox. 420 linear feet
INQUIRIES
exhibitions@curatorial.org
626.577.0044