Cartier-Bresson, Henri. (1908 - 2004)
The Decisive Moment - Signed with a Drawing to Leonard Lyons
New York: Simon & Schuster/Editions Verve. 1952. First American Edition. 11" x 14". Pages unnumbered. Insert with captions present. A superb compilation of some of Cartier-Bresson's finest images, inscribed on the front flyleaf to noted film and theater columnist Leonard Lyons ("The Lyons Den"): "To Leonard Lyons in remembrance of the night clubs night during which all decisive moments were due to you. Very cordially, Henri Cartier-Bresson". Beneath the inscription Cartier-Bresson adds a drawing of a large blank canvas hanging from a nail in the wall, noting beneath: "Space reserved for colour and water". Illustrated with full-page gravure reproductions of Cartier-Bresson's important photographs. Folio, pictorial boards designed by Henri Matisse, caption booklet laid in. Dust jacket brittle, split , torn in many places and heavily degraded (basically lacking), covers a bit torn with gutters starting to crack, chip at top of spine and spine ends and corners bumped, reinforced with archival tape, still quite good with contents excellent. A rare signed copy. Roth 134; Parr/Badger I 208; Hasselblad 154.Coined by Henri Cartier-Bresson himself, "the decisive moment" refers to that single, instantaneous moment in time when the click of the shutter captures a scene for posterity. He captured and framed his images of everyday life instinctively, with a seemingly complete understanding for geometry and order within the frame. His photographs are infused with a sense of freshness that, even today, is unmistakable.
Cartier-Bresson's photographic career was shaped by a passion for travel, which is represented here, in his best-known "chef d'oeuvre." The Decisive Moment features pictures of Spain, Mexico, the United States and India, in full-page gravure reproductions, all from his unique humanist perspective.
This first American edition, which is neatly signed and inscribed by the notoriously private artist, aptly represents his relatively short career as a photographer, one marked by an inherent trust in his intuitive eye. (8123)
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