Born in Chanteloup, Seine-et-Marne, in 1908, Henri Cartier-Bresson developed a strong fascination with painting early on, particularly with Surrealism. In 1932, after spending a year in the Ivory Coast, he discovered the Leica, his camera of choice thereafter, and began a lifelong passion for photography. 

Taken prisoner of war in 1940, he escaped on his third attempt in 1943 and subsequently joined an underground organization to assist prisoners and escapees. In 1945, he photographed the Liberation of Paris with a group of professional journalists, then filmed the documentary Le Retour (The Return).

In 1947, with Robert Capa, George Rodger, David “Chim” Seymour, and William Vandivert, he founded Magnum Photos.