The occupation of Paris during the Second World War was a dark and trying time for
the city and its inhabitants.
Under Nazi control for four years, Paris and its citizens endured hardship and lived in
constant fear.
However, on August 25, 1944, Parisians rose up against the occupying forces, resulting in the Liberation of Paris. The city was finally liberated and the resistance fighters, alongside the Allied forces, marched triumphantly through the streets.
Back in Paris, Charles de Gaulle gave his famous speech at the Hôtel de Ville to a jubilant crowd of Parisians: Paris! An outraged Paris! A broken Paris! A martyred Paris! But...a liberated Paris. An improvised speech celebrating the liberation of the city and calling for national unity.
Unidentified, and prominent photographers such as Robert Doisneau, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Bert Brandt, Andy Lopez or Robert Capa, were present and accurately documented the transformation of the city from a place of oppression to a place of freedom.
The events of the city's historic liberation, captured in a series of expressive pictures by LIFE photographers, today, provide a vivid and powerful panorama. These photographs are not just images frozen in time, they are a testament to the
resilience and courage of the people of Paris during this difficult period. The liberation of Paris marked a turning point in the war, and these photographs illustrate the hope and determination that drove the city and free world forward.
Galerie Meyer Oceanic Art & Eskimo Art
Galerie Meyer - Oceanic Art celebrates 39 years of fine antiques and Tribal Art in 2019. The original gallery was opened by my father, Oscar Meyer, on rue du Sabot just a few streets away, on the other side of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in 1946/1947. Later in the early 1950's he moved to the United States, met and married my mother, Rita Alix Meyer. They settled in Los Angeles and opened up a very large gallery at 847 North La Cienega Bd. They closed in 1971 and moved to Paris where they took an early retirement from the active world of dealing in art and devoted themselves to collecting. After my father's death in 1979, Rita Alix Meyer opened a small shop in the “Louvre des Antiquaires”.
Galerie Daniel Blau
Daniel Blau opened his first gallery back in 1990 in an old bakery’s basement in Munich. Established today on Maximilianstraße, the gallery is specialised in modern and contemporary art. Living up to its reputation, he recently discovered vintage prints by Margaret Bourke-White, Robert Capa and Weegee. The exhibited photographs are mostly unseen, and some of them have been attributed to their authors for the first time.