Born in 1947 in Gentilly, France. Died in 1994 in Montrouge, France
He is one of France’s most noted photographers. During his long career, his poetic approach to street photography recorded French everyday life in often playful and surreal images. Always charmed by his subjects, he enjoyed finding amusing juxtapositions or oddities of human nature. Beginning in 1934, he worked for Renault as an industrial and advertising photographer. When he was fired in 1939, he earned his living through advertising and postcard photography. That year he was hired by the Rapho photo agency, where he worked until the onset of World War II. In 1945 he started anew with his advertising and magazine work, including fashion photography and reportage for French Vogue from 1948 to 1952. He joined the Alliance photo agency for a short time and began working with Rapho again in 1946. In the 1950s Doisneau also became active in Group XV, an organization of photographers devoted to improving both the artistry and technical aspects of photography. From then on, he photographed a vast array of people and events, often juxtaposing conformist and maverick elements in images marked by an exquisite sense of humour, by anti-establishment values, and, above all, by his deeply felt humanism.
Doisneau’s works are represented in international collections such as Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, France; Art Institute of Chicago, USA; George Eastman House, Rochester, USA; International Center of Photography, New York, USA.
