One of Henri Cartier-Bresson's favorite quotations was from the French painter Degas, who declared that it was "wonderful to be famous as long as you remain unknown."
That Cartier-Bresson was famous is apparent from the length and position of the many obituaries that have appeared since his death at the age of 95 on Aug. 3 at his house in the Luberon region of southeastern France. The New York Times ran a 3,400-word version that started at length on the front page; BBC.com had no less than five articles on him, plus a page on which readers could post their personal tributes; regional newspapers across the United States, including the San Jose Mercury News, The Indianapolis Star, the Seattle Post Intelligencer and The Miami Herald carried extensive obits; Google News, the section of that service which searches for news-related items, turned up a total of 367 articles pertaining to his death.
I'm not sure how happy he would have been with such extensive coverage, for throughout his long life he jealously guarded his anonymity. He gave few interviews, regarding them as interrogations, was rarely photographed, and frequently derided his photography — and indeed photography in general — as a "truc mechanique" (a mechanical trick). Indeed, the phrase "famous photojournalist" is almost an oxymoron. You cannot be a celebrity and a fly on the wall at the same time, and if the presence of a photographer in any situation is liable to alter it, then the aura shed by a world-renowned, household-name photographer will likely paralyze all those in front of his lens.
Henri MATISSE, French painter. Circa 1943-44. France. Alpes-Maritimes. Vence. At his home: villa "Le Rêve".
© Henri Cartier-Bresson
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