Jacques Henri Lartigue

This retrospective volume serves as a comprehensive exploration of the life and work of Jacques-Henri Lartigue, a photographer celebrated for his candid, lyrical capture of early 20th-century French life. Published by the Instituto Moreira Salles to coincide with major exhibitions, the book contextualizes Lartigue’s transition from a precocious child documenting his family’s leisure activities to a master of the snapshot who remained largely unknown to the broader public until his rediscovery in the 1960s.

The editorial design focuses on the duality of Lartigue’s legacy: the technical experimentation of his youth and the sophisticated aesthetic of his mature years. By curating a selection of his personal journals alongside his iconic images of aviators, racing drivers, and fashionable socialites, the collection highlights how Lartigue sought to freeze the feeling of movement and happiness. The publication was received as a definitive scholarly resource, praised for its careful reproduction of his distinctively joyous and ephemeral visual style.