Martine Franck: 100 Photos for Press Freedom
Through 100 Photos for Press Freedom, Reporters Without Borders highlights for the first time the cosmopolitan Belgian photographer Martine Franck. Wife and equal partner to Henri Cartier-Bresson, close friend of Ariane Mnouchkine, and a member of Magnum Photos, Martine Franck carved out her own distinctive vision—gentle, insightful, and deeply talented—evident throughout this powerful and radiant edition.
Who better than Robert Doisneau, the renowned humanist photographer, to capture Martine Franck’s unique approach to her craft?
“Here is Martine Franck practicing, quite remarkably, the art of the friendly gaze—an attitude that fosters the trust and respect evident in her images.”
Born in Antwerp, Franck dedicated her lens to capturing the lives of children, women, the residents of the remote Irish island of Tory, undocumented migrants at the Saint-Bernard Church in Paris, fishermen on Long Island, and many others.
With her camera, she removed her subjects from the passage of time, bringing them into the realm of visibility. Curious but never intrusive, her work avoids both sordidness and melodrama. Her perspective remains balanced, her gaze tender and compassionate—a quiet invitation to reflect on our shared humanity and to slow down. While she did not explicitly identify as an activist, her work bears the unmistakable mark of sincere and profound commitment, most often in black and white and always with impeccable composition.
This portfolio, spanning around one hundred pages, offers a journey through Martine Franck’s oeuvre. It opens with a foreword by her close friend Ariane Mnouchkine, founder of the Théâtre du Soleil, and features contributions from Clara Bouveresse (photography historian), Robert Doisneau, Sarah Moon, Agnès Sire (curator and former director of the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation), and Matthieu Ricard (humanitarian, author, and photographer).
The album also pays tribute to Christophe Deloire, who tragically passed away on June 8 at the age of 53. As Secretary General of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) since 2012, Deloire profoundly transformed the organization, driving its growth and renewed impact. Journalism was his life’s mission, and he pursued it with unwavering conviction. Tributes from colleagues, former collaborators, and friends honor his remarkable dedication within these pages.
The texts feature contributions from Stella Assange (lawyer), Perrine Daubas (editor-in-chief), Christophe Dubois (journalist), Can Dündar (journalist), Camille Grenier (director of the Forum on Information and Democracy), António Guterres (UN Secretary-General), Pierre Haski (journalist and President of Reporters Without Borders), Bruno Patino (President of Arte France and leader of the Steering Committee for the General Assembly on Information), and Henri Pigeat (former President and CEO of Agence France-Presse and former head of the French Journalism Training Center).
This book was created with the support of the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation.
About the Author
Martine Franck, born in Belgium in 1938, spent her formative years in the United States and England. She pursued art history studies at the University of Madrid and the École du Louvre in Paris, which laid the foundation for her future career in photography. In 1963–64, a transformative journey to the Far East with her close friend Ariane Mnouchkine inspired Franck to explore the world through her lens. Shortly after, she began working at Time-Life in Paris as an assistant to photographers Eliot Elisofon and Gjon Mili. Her bond with Mnouchkine also led her to document the Théâtre du Soleil from its inception in 1964 until her passing.
Franck’s professional journey took a significant turn when she joined the Vu Photo Agency, later co-founding the Viva agency in 1972. Over the years, she produced striking portraits of artists and writers, including a celebrated series of women for Vogue. In 1983, she extended her focus to broader social issues, undertaking impactful work for the French Ministry of Women’s Rights. That same year, she became a full member of Magnum Photos, cementing her status as one of the most influential photographers of her time.
Franck was deeply committed to humanitarian causes. From 1985, she collaborated with the International Federation of Little Brothers of the Poor, a non-governmental organization dedicated to supporting the elderly and marginalized. In 1993, she began documenting life on Tory Island, a remote Gaelic-speaking community off Ireland’s northwest coast, capturing the traditions and daily rhythms of this isolated world.
Her travels later took her to Asia, where she photographed Tibetan Buddhist children in India and Nepal. With guidance from Marilyn Silverstone—a former Magnum photographer turned Buddhist nun—Franck gained rare access to the Tulkus, young lamas believed to be reincarnations of great spiritual masters.
In 2002, Franck co-founded the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation in Paris alongside her husband, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and their daughter, Mélanie. She became the foundation’s President in 2004, championing its mission to preserve and celebrate the legacy of photographic art.
Martine Franck passed away in Paris on August 16, 2012, leaving behind a body of work defined by compassion, curiosity, and an unwavering commitment to capturing humanity in all its forms.
