Henri Cartier-Bresson

French photographer
French, (1908–2004)
Cartier-Bresson is considered one of the premiere photographers of the 20th century, bringing to the art a heightened level of psychological penetration and formal perfection, capturing the decisive moment of a situation. He studied painting from 1922 to 1923 and his career as a photographer began in 1931. During the 1940s he worked for nearly all the great international newspapers and magazines and together with Robert Capa, David "Chim" Seymour, and George Rodger, he founded the "Magnum" agency in 1947. In 1966 he left Magnum and in 1974, returned to painting and drawing. His thoeries on photography, including his belief in photography's dedication to 'the decisive moment', were pivotal in the history of photography and are still influential today.