Robert Doisneau, Brothersrue du Docteur Lecène, Paris 1934 © Robert Doisneau
Verona – “What I was trying to show was a world where I would feel good, where people would be kind, where I would find the tenderness I hoped to receive. My photos were like proof that this world can exist.”
Robert Doisneau thought so, even when, in 1950, to take one of his most famous shots for the American magazine Lifeasked the two young people to pose for him, exchanging a kiss in front of the Paris City Hall.
It was born The Kiss of the Town Hall, Paris, one of the most famous and reproduced images in the history of photography.
Robert Doisneau, The Kiss at the Hôtel de Ville, Paris 1950 © Robert Doisneau
This shot will also be part of the exhibition curated by Gabriel Bauret, hosted at the Palazzo della Gran Guardia in Verona from 15 November to 14 February.
Promoted by the Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo Foundation and produced by Silvana Editoriale, with the patronage of the Municipality of Verona, the Verona itinerary explores the creative story of the great French artist through 135 black and white images, coming from the Atelier’s collection Robert Doisneau in Montrouge, in the immediate southern suburbs of Paris.
Here the humanist photographer, friend of Jacques Prévert, Robert Giraud and the cellist Maurice Baquet, protagonist of numerous shots, developed and archived his images for over fifty years and here he passed away in 1994, leaving a legacy of almost 450,000 negative.
Robert Doisneau, School information, Paris 1956 © Robert Doisneau
From the same atelier, today his two daughters contribute to the diffusion and dissemination of his work, welcoming continuous requests from museums, festivals and publishing houses.
The itinerary will be enriched by the screening of excerpts from Clémentine Deroudille’s film “Robert Doisneau. Le Révolté du merveilleux” and an interview with the curator Gabriel Bauret.
Robert Doisneau, The concierge with glasses, Paris 1945 © Robert Doisneau