HISTORY OF MODERN FRANCE

SEASON 3

 

 

80th Anniversary of the Liberation of France 5


5 June 2024

Recording

Zoom lecture


80th Anniversary of the Liberation of France 5

Iconic Photographs of D-day and the Liberation of France:

Robert Capa, Lee Miller, Tony Vaccaro, John Morris

with Sylvie Koneski



Robert Capa for Life Magazine - Omaha Beach D-Day landings 6 June 1944 (detail)
Robert Capa for Life Magazine - Omaha Beach D-Day landings 6 June 1944 (detail)


Lee Miller in Hitler's bathtub in Munich, 30 April 1945
Lee Miller in Hitler's bathtub in Munich, 30 April 1945

2024 is the year of the 80th commemoration of the Liberation of France. To mark the occasion, the public will be inundated with historical images. When it comes to images of conflict, photography has played a pioneering role. How do some photographs become true icons? This is what our presentation will try to reveal through its discussion of four of the most famous photographers of the events of the summer of 1944 in France and Germany.

 

Robert Capa whose photographs of the Normandy landings, with American soldiers crawling through the water, turned him in to the father of photojournalism. Tony Vaccaro, photographer and GI, who bore witness to the joyful atmosphere of the Liberation of Paris. The familiar photo of a GI surrounded by adoring French women became an iconic image of the liberation of Europe in 1944. John G. Morris who took more personal pictures capturing the daily life of that fateful summer. Lee Miller, fashion model, artistic collaborator and muse of Man Ray who became a war correspondent and who drew on her Surrealist training to translate the unspeakable tragedies of war.

 

Through images which became global icons, each of these photographers tried to answer the question: What is the nature of war, how and why should we show it?



You will be receiving the recording via WeTransfer as soon as we receive notification of your purchase

In addition to the May 2024 lectures, a number of recorded lectures on WWII are also available, should you wish to delve deeper into the subject.