The photographer of everyday life on display at the Museo del Genio
It’s no coincidence that in the coming months Paris will seem closer than ever. Until July 19, Rome hosts an exhibition dedicated to the great French photographer Robert Doisneau, on display at the Museo del Genio on Lungotevere della Vittoria.
The exhibition traces the life of one of the most important figures of 20th-century French humanist photography, known worldwide for his ironic shots in which the depth of human nature emerges from everyday life.
The 140 photographs on display are organized into six thematic sections (Personal Albums, Paris, Mondanités, Children, Color, Postcards, and Celebrities), spanning the entirety of Doisneau’s work. From street scenes capturing children at play to portrait shots of some of the most prominent artists and cultural figures of the time, Doisneau never fails to evoke a smile or capture the essence of a moment with remarkable precision.
Le Baiser de l’Hôtel de Ville
A dedicated section focuses on the iconic photograph Le Baiser de l’Hôtel de Ville, first published in 1950 in a small format as part of a journalistic feature. At the time, however, the image did not immediately become an icon.
That Doisneau was a romantic is beyond question, but audiences may be surprised to learn that the most famous kiss in photography history was, in fact, staged. Doisneau had been commissioned by Life magazine to produce a reportage on lovers in Paris, wandering along the city’s boulevards in search of moments of affection and passion. Yet, it seems that at the time it was not so easy to find couples kissing in public.
And so, two theater students, Françoise Bornet and Jacques Carteaud, became the actors and eternal protagonists of Doisneau’s most famous shot.
In the 1990s, the image became the subject of a complex legal dispute over image rights, a case that helped define more clearly the relationship between photography, public recognition, and the right to one’s image. Yet even this controversy ultimately reinforced its myth, cementing the act of kissing in the street as one of the most enduring and iconic motifs in photography.
A Portrait of the 20th Century
This exhibition is an opportunity to celebrate 200 years of photography as a visual form of expression and to rediscover one of its masters, who was able to capture through his lens emotions and moments that remain timeless.
Through his camera, he gave us portraits of everyday Parisians, as well as a true snapshot of his time, capturing some of the most prominent figures of the 20th century: Jacques Prévert, Alberto Giacometti, Georges Braque, Sabine Azéma, Blaise Cendrars, Colette, Simone de Beauvoir, Fernand Léger, Pablo Picasso, and Jean Cocteau.
