The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of February 23, 2026
Quartier de la Chapelle, Paris
1928 or 1929 (printed c. 1940s)
(French, 1908–2004)
Image: 25.3 x 17.4 cm (9 15/16 x 6 7/8 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1991.244
© Henri Cartier-Bresson
Location: Not on view
Description
This ambiguous scene of a pedestrian passing a man sprawled on a sidewalk is a striking example of Henri Cartier-Bresson's genius at selecting the "decisive moment." With a small hand-held camera and an uncanny sense of timing, he was able to anticipate the fraction of a second before a scene in front of him resolved into a balanced, meaningful composition that he could capture on film. Cartier-Bresson once said: "Photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organization of forms which give the event its proper expression."- Cleveland Museum of Art, Tom E Hinson. Catalogue of Photography. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1996. Reproduced: P. 121
- CMA, November 20,1996 - February 2, 1997: "Legacy of Light: Master Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art."Legacy of Light: Master Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 24, 1996-February 2, 1997).
- {{cite web|title=Quartier de la Chapelle, Paris|url=false|author=Henri Cartier-Bresson|year=1928 or 1929 (printed c. 1940s)|access-date=23 February 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1991.244