Les Géants du Nord

1945–1979

Portraits of Picasso, Braque, Léger, Cocteau and Giacometti

From the post-war years through the 1970s Doisneau produced children's books, advertising photography and celebrity portraits — Alberto Giacometti, Jean Cocteau, Fernand Léger, Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso. He worked with writers and poets such as Blaise Cendrars and Jacques Prévert, and credited Prévert with giving him the confidence to photograph everyday street scenes.

1949

A contract with Vogue

In 1949 Doisneau signed a contract with Vogue magazine.

1949

“La Banlieue de Paris”, with Blaise Cendrars

Éditions Pierre Seghers published Doisneau's book of photographs “La Banlieue de Paris” (“The Suburbs of Paris”), with a text by Blaise Cendrars.

1950

Joins Le Groupe des XV

In 1950 Doisneau joined Le Groupe des XV, founded in Paris in 1946 to promote photography as an art and to preserve France's photographic heritage, alongside René-Jacques, Willy Ronis and Pierre Jahan. After the group disbanded he joined Les 30 x 40, the Club Photographique de Paris.

12 June 1950

“The Kiss” is published in Life

Made for Life, the photograph was published on 12 June 1950 as part of a photo-essay on couples kissing in Paris, and became an internationally recognised symbol of young love in Paris.

26 mai 1953 – 23 août 1953

Exhibition: Postwar European Photography