Martine Franck facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martine Franck
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Franck in 1972, by Henri-Cartier Bresson
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| Born | 2 April 1938 Antwerp, Belgium
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| Died | 16 August 2012 (aged 74) Paris, France
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| Occupation | Documentary and portrait photographer |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 1 |
Martine Franck (born April 2, 1938 – died August 16, 2012) was a talented British-Belgian photographer. She was known for her documentary photography, which captures real life, and her portraits, which are pictures of people. Martine Franck was a member of Magnum Photos, a famous group of photographers, for more than 32 years. She was also the second wife of another famous photographer, Henri Cartier-Bresson. Together, they helped start the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation.
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Early Life and Education
Martine Franck was born in Antwerp, Belgium. Her father, Louis Franck, was a banker, and her mother, Evelyn, was British. Soon after she was born, her family moved to London. A year later, her father joined the British Army. Martine and her mother were sent to the United States for safety during World War II. They lived on Long Island and in Arizona.
Martine's father loved art and often took her to museums. From age six, Martine went to a boarding school. Her mother would send her postcards every day, often with pictures of famous paintings. Martine studied art history at Heathfield School, Ascot from age 14. She had a great teacher who made art history exciting. They even went on trips to London to see art.
Starting a Photography Career
Martine Franck studied art history at the Complutense University of Madrid and the Ecole du Louvre in Paris. She found writing her thesis (a long research paper) very difficult. She realized she was not a good writer. So, she decided to try photography instead.
Her photography journey began in 1963. She traveled to the Far East and took many pictures with her cousin's Leica camera. When she came back to France in 1964, she had her own camera. Martine then worked as an assistant for famous photographers Eliot Elisofon and Gjon Mili at Time-Life magazine.
By 1969, she was a busy freelance photographer. She took pictures for popular magazines like Vogue, Life, and Sports Illustrated. She also became the official photographer for the Theatre du Soleil, a theater group. She held this job for 48 years! From 1970 to 1971, she worked at a photo agency called Agence Vu. In 1972, she helped start another agency called Viva.
Joining Magnum Photos
In 1980, Martine Franck joined Magnum Photos. This is a very respected group of photographers. She first joined as a "nominee" and became a full member in 1983. She was one of only a few women to be accepted into this famous agency.
Later Projects and Recognition
In 1983, Martine worked on a project for the French Ministry of Women's Rights. In 1985, she started working with a charity called the International Federation of Little Brothers of the Poor.
She also traveled to many interesting places. In 1993, she visited Tory Island in Ireland. There, she photographed the small Gaelic community living on the island. She also went to Tibet and Nepal. With the help of Marilyn Silverstone, she photographed the education of Tibetan Tulkus monks. In 2003 and 2004, she returned to Paris. She documented the work of theater director Robert Wilson. He was putting on plays based on La Fontaine's fables at the Comédie-Française.
Martine Franck published nine books of her photographs. In 2005, she received a special honor from France. She was made a chevalier of the French Légion d'Honneur.
Martine continued to work even after she was diagnosed with bone cancer in 2010. Her last exhibition was in October 2011. It was held at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie. This show featured 62 portraits of artists from different backgrounds. Her work was also shown in New York and Paris that same year.
Martine Franck's Photography Style
Martine Franck was known for her documentary-style photos. She captured important people like painter Marc Chagall and philosopher Michel Foucault. She also photographed groups of people in faraway or less-known communities. These included Tibetan Buddhist monks, elderly French people, and Gaelic speakers in Ireland.
Michael Pritchard, from the Royal Photographic Society, said Martine could show people's feelings in her photos. This helped viewers understand what she saw. Her pictures always showed kindness towards her subjects.
One of her most famous photos was taken in 1976. It shows people swimming in a pool in Le Brusc, Provence. She saw them from far away and quickly took the picture. She even changed the film roll in her camera very fast to get the shot. She closed the camera lens at just the right moment.
She was inspired by other photographers. These included British photographer Julia Margaret Cameron and American photojournalists Dorothea Lange and Margaret Bourke-White. In 2010, she told The New York Times that photography fit her "curiosity about people and human situations."
Martine Franck preferred to work outside a studio. She used a 35 mm Leica camera. She also liked using black and white film. The British Royal Photographic Society said her work was part of "French humanist documentary photography." This style focuses on people and their lives.
Personal Life
Martine Franck was often described as elegant, graceful, and a bit shy.
In 1966, she met Henri Cartier-Bresson. He was 30 years older than her. They met when she was photographing fashion shows in Paris. She once said his first words to her were, "Martine, I want to come and see your contact sheets." They got married in 1970. They had one daughter named Mélanie. They stayed together until Henri's death in 2004.
Martine sometimes felt that her famous husband's career overshadowed her own. She wanted her work to be recognized on its own. In 1970, a gallery in London planned her first solo show. But when she saw that the invitations mentioned her husband's name and said he would be there, she canceled the show. Martine once said she put her husband's career before her own. In 2003, Martine and her daughter started the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation. This foundation helps promote Henri Cartier-Bresson's photojournalism. Martine became its president in 2004.
Martine Franck was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010. She passed away in Paris in 2012 at the age of 74.
Exhibitions
- La vie et la mort, Rencontres d'Arles, Arles, France, 1980
- Martine Franck Photographe, Musée de la Vie romantique, Paris, 2004
- Les Rencontres, Rencontres d'Arles, Arles, France, 2004
