Robert Doisneau: Paris. 45th Ed. (45th Edition)

by Taschen

As sensitive to human suffering as to the simple pleasures of life, Robert Doisneau is one of the most celebrated exponents of the Photographie humaniste that swept through the 1950s. Cherished in particular for his soulful portraits of Paris, Doisneau demonstrated a unique ability to find – and perfectly frame – charismatic characters, entertaining episodes, and fleeting moments of humor and affection.

A summation of a spectacular career, this extensive Doisneau collection includes all his best-loved images from Paris alongside many lesser-known compositions which equally rejoice in “the ordinary gestures of ordinary people in ordinary situations.” The many quotations from the photographer throughout the volume immerse the reader in Doisneau’s thoughts and give verbal expression to the sensitivity, warmth, and wit which characterize his pictures.

Through the images, we are transported to the grim suburbs of Doisneau’s youth and to the world of manual labor whose nobility he so admired. A number of color shots of the transformed suburbs of Doisneau’s childhood reveal a different, more critical eye to the master photographer.

For this new monograph on all aspects of the life and oeuvre of Robert Doisneau, his longtime friend and TASCHEN author Jean Claude Gautrand had unlimited access to the extensive photo archive Atelier Robert Doisneau. The preface is by Doisneau’s daughters Francine Deroudille and Annette Doisneau.

504 pages, Hardcover

Published September 4, 2025

About the author

'Taschen is an art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. It began as Taschen Comics publishing Benedikt's extensive comic collection. Taschen has been a noteworthy force in making lesser-seen art available to mainstream bookstores, including some fetishistic imagery, queer art, historical erotica, pornography and adult magazines (including multiple books with Playboy magazine). Taschen has helped bring this art into broader public view, by publishing these potentially controversial volumes alongside its more mainstream books of comics reprints, art photography, painting, design, fashion, advertising history, film, and architecture.' - Wikipedia

Reviews

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creator for many people of some of the most romantic and iconic images of Paris. Not romantic in a chocolate box kind of way (with the possible exception of his Hotel De Ville Kiss image on the cover) but in the sense of his huge empathy for people in general, and the working classes in particular. There's a lot of great stuff here but my favourites have always been the shots of kids playing in the wasteland of post-war Paris, with their great sense of space, freedom, and joy.