We went into New York City the other day and while my wife was shopping I went down to the International Center of Photography. The exhibitions used to shown in their location in midtown west, which was quite convenient when I was still working. I hadn’t been to this new location before, but it turned out to be only a short train ride from Grand Central Terminal.

Four exhibitions were being held. The picture above shows Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Decisive Moment. According to the Center’s website:

Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Decisive Moment examines Cartier-Bresson’s influential publication, widely considered to be one of the most important photobooks of the twentieth century. Pioneering for its emphasis on the photograph itself as a unique narrative form, The Decisive Moment was described by Robert Capa as “a Bible for photographers.” Originally titled Images à la Sauvette (“images on the run”) in the French, the book was published in English with a new title, The Decisive Moment, which unintentionally imposed the motto which would define Cartier-Bresson’s work. The exhibition details how the decisions made by the collaborators in this major project—including Cartier-Bresson, French art publisher Tériade, American publisher Simon & Schuster, and Henri Matisse, who designed the book’s cover—have shaped our understanding of Cartier-Bresson’s photographs. Through vintage gelatin silver prints, first-edition publications, periodicals, and correspondence, Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Decisive Moment brings new insights to this iconic work.

I’m a big fan of Cartier-Bresson and it was inspiring to see some of his work “in the flesh” (i.e. not on the internet or in books) as it were. I’ve always been in awe of his ability to blend form and content in the split second it took him to see and take the photograph.

The exhibition runs until September 2, 2018. It’s well worth seeing.

Taken with a Sony RX-100 M3.