Bologna is set to host an important retrospective dedicated to the great photographer Robert Doisneau (1912-1994) from March 6 to June 21, 2020. Doisneau, renowned for his poetic approach to street photography, is the author of “Le baiser de l’hôtel de ville,” one of the most famous images in post-World War II photography.

The ROBERT DOISNEAU exhibition is curated by the Atelier Robert Doisneau (Montrouge, France), established by Francine Deroudille and Annette Doisneau to preserve and represent the photographer’s works. It is organized by Pallavicini s.r.l., led by Chiara Campagnoli, Deborah Petroni, and Rubens Fogacci, in collaboration with Chroma Photography.

The exhibition features 143 works displayed in the prestigious halls of Via San Felice, all sourced from the Atelier. It stems from an ambitious 1986 project by Francine Deroudille and her sister Annette—Robert Doisneau’s daughters—who selected from 450,000 negatives, produced over more than 60 years of the artist’s career, the images that narrate the captivating autobiographical story of the artist.

The grey suburbs of Parisian peripheries, factories, small shops, solitary or rebellious children, the war from the side of the Resistance, the Parisian people at work or celebrating, glimpses of the French countryside, encounters with artists and celebrities of the time, the world of fashion, and eccentric characters met in Parisian cafés are the protagonists of a photographic narrative of a world that “has nothing to do with reality but is infinitely more interesting.” Doisneau does not capture life as it is but as he wishes it to be. His inherently rebellious nature infuses his work with moments of disobedience and rejection of established norms, playful images, and ironic juxtapositions of traditional and unconventional elements.

Influenced by the works of André Kertész, Eugène Atget, and Henri Cartier-Bresson, Doisneau bestows importance and dignity on street culture, with a particular focus on children, capturing moments of freedom and play beyond parental control, offering us a fascinating view of human fragility.

The wonders of everyday life are so exciting; no director can recreate the unexpected you find on the street.
— Robert Doisneau