Robert Doisneau, the spirit of resistance: a tribute exhibition at the Musée de la Résistance Nationale

The Musée de la Résistance nationale lifts the veil on a little-known period in Robert Doisneau's life, in an exhibition to be discovered from October 15, 2023 to April 28, 2024.

We know Robert Doisneau as one of the greatest French photographers of the 20th century. But did you know that he was also a behind-the-scenes fighter for the French Resistance during the Second World War? The Musée de la Résistance Nationale, in Champigny-sur-Marne, pays tribute to the artist's militant activities, in an exhibition on view from October 15, 2023 to April 28, 2024.

The exhibition, Robert Doisneau, l'esprit de résistance, features numerous photographs and archival documents. Divided into several sections, the tour highlights the artist's clandestine activities during the Second World War, and the photographer's post-war actions that helped create this"Resistance memory".

We discover a humanist who resisted alone, on his own scale. His talents as a photographer and engraver, and his contacts with printers and publishers, enabled him to wage a discreet struggle, but one that greatly contributed to the cause of Resistance networks in France.

Armed with his camera, Doisneau set out to show the reality of war and the Occupation: food rationing, famine and empty stalls, control and oppression by the German army, the terror of bombing... What can no longer be said is immortalized in the photographer's film. With his photos, the artist also honors the work of printers who defy censorship to convey messages of freedom.

To help those targeted by the Nazi regime, Robert Doisneau used his skills as an engraver-lithographer to forge false papers. For Doisneau, these acts were a simple sign of solidarity in the face of fear. Working in the shadows, it was only after the war that he was able to meet all those Resistance fighters who benefited from his commitment and courage.

Sharing the truth, helping, passing on information and light, highlighting the little hands of this great French story: these were the aims of this photographer, who made a major contribution to the image and knowledge we have of the Resistance.

For lovers of photography andhistory, don't miss this exhibition at the Musée de la Résistance Nationale in Champigny-sur-Marne.