The Florence Henri exhibition presents emblematic prints from the 1920s and 1930s, all created and signed by the artist during her lifetime. Included are twelve prints from the 1974 portfolio published by Galerie Wilde in Cologne, marking a key moment in the rediscovery of her work after decades of obscurity.
Trained first in music and then painting, Florence Henri turned to photography after her time at the Bauhaus in 1927, influenced by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy and Lucia Moholy. Back in Paris, she quickly developed a unique style informed by post-Cubism and Constructivism. Using mirrors, reflections, and multiple perspectives, her compositions disorient the viewer, often bordering on abstraction.
In 1929, her participation in the iconic Film und Foto exhibition alongside Man Ray, Germaine Krull, and André Kertész cemented her role in the photographic avant-garde. World War II disrupted her career: deprived of materials, she returned to painting and fell into obscurity.
It was only in the early 1970s, thanks to Ann and Jürgen Wilde, that her work was rehabilitated through a dedicated exhibition and the publication of a portfolio of twelve modern prints — now presented in this exhibition as essential milestones in understanding the strength and originality of her artistic journey.
Galerie Le Minotaure
Founded in 2002 by Benoit Sapiro — expert at the Compagnie nationale des experts, vice-president of the Professional Committee of Art Galleries, and president of the PhotoSaintGermain festival association — Galerie Le Minotaure is located on the former site of the famous surrealist bookstore of the same name. The gallery has specialized in artists from the École de Paris and avant-garde art from Central and Eastern Europe, from the 1910s to the 1960s.