Jacques-Henri Lartigue

French, 1894-1986. Lartigue’s nativity to an affluent family introduced him to the technicalities about photography from a very early age. While Lartigue’s professional forte lay in capturing candid photographs in black and white, his experiments with Autochrome satiated the painter in him. His cinematizations from the beginning of his boyhood and his lifetime exude spontaneity and a free-spirited vibe and yet, weren’t popularized until he turned 69 years old. He was known for his ability to capture the joy and wonder from the most inanimate objects and used his enthusiasm for infantile games, flying, cars and women as an inspiration for most of his work. He shared a closed camaraderie with influential artists like Pablo Picasso and Kees van Dongen and was conferred with the Legion of Honor in 1975. Les Femmes aux cigarettes, Les Autochromes and Diary of a Century are a few of his coveted pieces of work.