Willy Ronis: Famous French Fotog

I hadn't seen Madame M since before I left for Bretagne, so when she telephoned and proposed we meet for the Willy Ronis exhibition today I readily agreed. Summer is in full swing, and the hot sun showed no mercy as I weaved my way through straggling tourists on the Pont Neuf, over the Seine to the Monnaie de Paris. Formerly the French Mint, it houses an exhibition hall, a museum dedicated to the minting of the centime (french coinage), and a boutique for coin collectors. There is even a little jewelry shop! But I digress.....we climbed an elegant if not well worn staircase (that wore the obligatory 19th century candelabra lamps like earrings on the rez-de-chaussée) and entered the world of Willy Ronis. A contemporary of Izis, (see my blog entitled "Izis: Photographer Extraordinaire") and Robert Doiseneau, he embraced Realism and had an affection for "le grève", (the strike!) and the working class. This is reflected in a series of photographs of people at work in the factories of Paris, women at the mills turning individual threads into fabric, men in the sweltering heat of the glass factories. There is a dignity and tenderness in his work; a group assembles to form a union, a fisherman kisses his wife and baby goodbye before embarking on the "Deadliest Catch". His nudes are famous, in fact women used to approach him and request he shoot them au naturale! Contributing volumes of work during his career in the mid 1900's to popular french magazines (as did his contemporary, Izis) Ronis made the kind of name for himself that afforded him the luxury of beautiful women begging to take their clothes off for him and his Pentax. He photograped his last nude at the age of 90, when his body got the best of him. Feeling too wobbly when he positioned himself for a shot and refusing to use a tripod, (a lifelong quirk) he started turning 'em down. Realist, Humanist, and most assuredly a Communist, you can visit the work of Willy Ronis until August 22nd, tuesdays through sundays from 11 am until 7 pm at the Monnaie de Paris, 11 Quai de Conti, metro ligne 7 sortie: Pont Neuf. Adults pay 7 euro.

Izis: Photographer Extraordinaire

It's true what they say, "The best things in life are free!" The proof was in the pudding today at the Hotel de Ville. Madame M proposed we visit the Izis exhibition, showing gratuite. I must confess, I had no knowledge of this artist before today, and was glad to expand my horizons. Born Izraelis Bidermanas, he came of age during the Nazi occupation of France, joined the Resistance, and was known to his comrades simply as "Izis". He had a lifelong love for the art of photography, and many of his most stirring portraits are of his fellow freedom fighters. A Humanist, Izis had an eye for capturing the emotion of the moment-pure, unposed, completely honest. After the war he worked as a staff photographer for Paris Match, the french equivilant to Life magazine, and captured the images of many luminaries including Colette and Chagal. But his most interesting work is spontaneous. He somehow captured the sad beauty of a homeless man sleeping in the street, the innocence of childhood, the sweet joy of a couple long married riding a merry-go-round. Not at all famous as his contemporary Robert Doiseneau, his body of work is nonetheless extraordinary, moving, and rich. Showing through the 29th of May, it is an exhibition not to be missed!