In a parallel tribute to the remarkable artist couple Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) and Martine Franck (1938-2012), the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation and the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation display works by the artists in both of their museums in Athens and Andros until October 27, 2024.

Looking at Others, the Martine Franck retrospective organised by the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Andros, includes about 150 of her photographs along with significant archival material, allowing visitors to explore the development of her work from her debut in 1963 to her death in 2012. “I don’t think you can be a good photographer without being curious about others […]” – Martine Franck said about her practice.

Alongside the exhibitions is a comprehensive catalogue that includes writings by the three curators: Marie Koutsomallis-Moreau, Head of Collections at the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation; Clément Chéroux, Director of the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson; and Aude Raimbault, Collection Curator of the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson.

The exhibition showcased at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Andros highlights the immense contribution of that great photographer. Going beyond Martine Franck’s more well-known photographs, it sheds light on other, lesser-known aspects of her work which, however, are just as important. All the subjects she focused on are presented in detail through six thematic sections: the stages of life (childhood, initiation, old age), professional life (workforce, sea workers, public figures), political issues (protests, Saint-Bernard Church, consumerism), feminist struggles (key personalities, activist projects, collective action), spaces of representation and some of her “landscape thoughts”.

The exhibition presents a political artist, committed to the causes of her times, who had a direct and close relationship with her subjects and for whom the camera was a mediator that allowed her to “look at others”.

Image: Children’s Library Built by the Atelier de Montrouge, Clamart, France (c) Martine Franck and Magnum Photos