The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 15, 2025
Calle Cuauhtemoctzin, Mexico City
1934
(French, 1908–2004)
Image: 35.7 x 23.7 cm (14 1/16 x 9 5/16 in.); Matted: 61 x 50.8 cm (24 x 20 in.)
© Henri Cartier-Bresson
Location: Not on view
Description
Cartier-Bresson's landmark photographs from 1932-34 represent one of the great, concentrated moments of creativity and innovation in modern art. During this period, while traveling primarily in Italy, Spain, and Mexico, he devised a new photographic style that captured the flux and spontaneity of human experience. Cartier-Bresson's use of the flexible, hand-held Leica camera allowed him to synthesize his passions for life and art. One of his most iconic and seminal photographs, this image of a prostitute was taken in Mexico City, and captures the open sensuality of the young woman's face and body. Leaning out of a narrow opening, her piercing eyes stare directly and, unabashedly into the lens. The photograph's geometry, rich textures, and strong suggestion of space illustrate Cartier-Bresson's ability to instantaneously manage light and composition, intuitively capturing the "decisive moment" in candid pictures of people and events.- Cleveland Museum of Art, “Recent Acquisitions Press Release,” December 12, 2000, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. Mentioned: p. 2 archive.org
- {{cite web|title=Calle Cuauhtemoctzin, Mexico City|url=false|author=Henri Cartier-Bresson|year=1934|access-date=15 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2000.122