Martine Franck

Martine Franck (BE, 1938-2012), who was born in Antwerp, discovered a passion for photography while on a long journey through Asia in 1963. Once she had returned home to Paris, she set herself as a freelance photographer and created portraits and reportages for the major American magazines, including Life, The New York Times and Vogue. Martine Franck claimed wonder and a deep joy for humanity, with all the empathy she displayed.

Martine Frank (BE, 1938-2012) was by nature a free spirit. For Martine, the camera was a tool to position herself in society. From a deep social commitment, she fights for women, the elderly, refugees and endangered communities worldwide. She takes her time to build respectful relationships with the people she portrays. In this way she creates a unique photographic language, with strong compositions and observations in black and white.

This autumn, the FOMU is bringing the major retrospective of Martine Franck's work to her hometown. Martine Franck was closely involved in the elaboration of this exhibition, created by the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson (Paris) and the Musée de L'Elysée (Lausanne), just before her death.

Curator: Agnès Sire