Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Decisive Moment

The Decisive Moment (Images � la Sauvette in French) is one of the greatest photography books ever published. It brings together photographic material from the first twenty years of Henri Cartier-Bresson's career.

Images � la Sauvette was published in 1952 by Verve, with an original cover by Matisse. It was the result of a collaboration between the photographer, the famous art critic and publisher T�riade, and the painter, at the peak of his career. The American version, published the same year by Simon and Schuster, was the first to introduce the now-famous expression "decisive moment."

The book, which reveals the intrinsic duality of Henri Cartier-Bresson's work, the combination of intimate interpretation with documentary observation, received tremendous critical acclaim within the art world and is considered a "bible for photographers," in the words of photographer Robert Capa. It remains an essential reference for photographers to this day.

The original book, now out of print, has become a collector's item. The Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson sought to make this classic photography book accessible again, in a smaller and practical format, at an affordable price. The latest print features the same material as the original 1952 edition, and is accompanied by a comprehensive study of the book's making, its enduring popularity, and the considerations behind its title, written by Cl�ment Ch�roux, director of the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson.