The StyleWise Reportage » French photographer Willy Ronis dead at 99

French photographer Willy Ronis dead at 99

Willy Ronis, the last of France’s postwar greats of photography who captured the essence of Paris in black and white scenes of everyday life, died Saturday. He was 99.

Ronis died at a Paris hospital where he had been admitted days earlier, said Stephane Ledoux, the president of the Eyedea photo agency.

Lovers, nudes and scenes from Paris streets were the mainstay of Ronis’ photographs, which reflect the so-called humanist school of photography in an award-winning career that began in the 1930s and reaped honors for him in France and abroad.

A sad day for photographers worldwide as the last of France’s postwar photographers, Willy Ronis, died Saturday September 12, 2009 in Paris. His work was exceptional and he was 99.

Willy Ronis captured the essence of Paris in black and white scenes of everyday life. The foundation of Ronis’ photographs included lovers, nudes and scenes from the streets of Paris. Ronis’s ward-winning career began in the 1930s and reaped honors for him in France and abroad.

Ronis’ nudes and fashion work (for Vogue and Le Jardin des modes) show his appreciation for natural beauty; meanwhile, he remained a principled news photographer, resigning from Rapho for a twenty-five year period when he objected to the hostile captioning by the New York Times to his photograph of a strike.

Here is a nice video about Willy Ronis.

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