Martine Franck: A photographic tribute at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Andros, 03.07 - 27.10 2024
Martine Franck: A photographic tribute at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Andros, 03.07 - 27.10 2024
This summer, the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation joins forces with the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation to honour the extraordinary artist couple Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) and Martine Franck (1938-2012), with an extensive tribute that will go on display in both its museums, in Athens and in Andros, from July 3 to October 27, 2024.
A retrospective exhibition of works by Martine Franck, featuring about 150 of her photographs, will go on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Andros. The tribute will present in detail all the subjects that Franck focused on in the course of her career, such as the different stages of life (childhood, initiation, maturity), the workplace, political and social issues (protests, portraits, criticism of overconsumption) as well as feminist struggles.
Henri Cartier-Bresson and his wife Martine Franck were dear friends of Basil and Elise Goulandris. Cartier-Bresson inaugurated the new wing of the Goulandris Foundation’s Museum of Contemporary Art in Andros in 1987, exhibiting 150 photographs that he had selected. Franck is credited with one of the most striking portraits of Elise Goulandris, taken in Gstaad in 1999, one year before Elise’s passing. With their photographic lens and their special technique, both Cartier-Bresson and Franck have each left their own indelible mark on art.
Wishing to extend the ties of friendship that brought together, for almost 20 years, Martine, Elise, Henri and Basil, the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation joined forces with the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson for this double, parallel tribute. The works on display, that are part of the collection of the Fondation Cartier-Bresson, give visitors the opportunity to appreciate the particular gaze of both photographers, avoiding any confrontation or comparison as the exhibitions are showcased in different museums.
The exhibitions are under the auspices of the French Ministry of Culture.
MARTINE FRANCK – ANDROS
The Martine Franck retrospective that the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation is organising at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Andros, titled Looking at Others, features approximately 150 of her photographs as well as important archive material, giving visitors the opportunity to delve into the evolution of her work, from her very first steps in 1963 up to her death in 2012.
“I don’t think you can be a good photographer without being curious about others…”
Martine Franck
One of the main traits of Martine Franck’s character was her curiosity about others, a profound interest she had in people which was also the driving force behind her challenging photographic work. That feeling further defined the subjects she focused on, that ranged from the carelessness of childhood to working class portraits, feminist struggles, Buddhist spirituality and the elderly.
The exhibition that will be showcased at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Andros highlights the immense contribution of that great photographer. Going beyond Martine Franck’s more well-known photographs, it sheds light on other, lesser-known aspects of her work which, however, are just as important. All the subjects she focused on are presented in detail through six thematic sections: the stages of life (childhood, initiation, old age), professional life (workforce, sea workers, public figures), political issues (protests, Saint-Bernard Church, consumerism), feminist struggles (key personalities, activist projects, collective action), spaces of representation and some of her “landscape thoughts”.
The exhibition presents a political artist, committed to the causes of her times, who had a direct and close relationship with her subjects and for whom the camera was a mediator that allowed her to “look at others”.
Guided tours in Greek and English have been scheduled from August 1 to August 31, while group or private guided tours can also take place upon arrangement. Educational programmes for children aged 5-7 and 8-12 as well as interactive family guided tours will also be taking place from July 24 to August 25.
EXHIBITION PHOTOS
View of the retrospective exhibition of works by Martine Franck “Looking at others”.
Photo credits © Chris Doulgeris
About
Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation, Organisation of the Exhibition
Kyriakos Koutsomallis, General Director
Clément Chéroux, Director of the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation, Paris Curator of the Exhibition
Marie Koutsomallis-Moreau, Head of Collections of the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation, General Coordination
