1913 — 2004
Pierre Gassmann, born in Breslau (now Wrocław) in Poland, emigrated to Paris in 1933, joining the resistance and making friends with many of the great humanist photographers of the era: Doisneau, Cartier-Bresson, Capa, Man Ray et al, all of whom achieved their greatest successes while stationed in Paris. Following the war, he worked as a photojournalist and printer, and in 1950 founded his own photo laboratory, Picto. Here he developed the negatives of his friends, while also becoming known for his "sensitive" printing technique, which enabled highly successful enlargement.
Gassmann would not be exhibited solo outside of France until 1997, when his work was displayed at Berlin's ZFF Zentrum für Fotografie. Although his name recognition is smaller than that of his contemporaries, Gassmann played a key role in the humanist movement. He died in 2004.
