PARIS.- On November 9, 2026, to mark the opening of Paris Photo week, the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation hosted the fourth edition of its Gala at the Atelier des Lumières, in collaboration with Culturespaces.

In a festive atmosphere, this event brought together leading figures from the world of photography. Echoing the Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibition currently on view at the Caumont-Centre d'Art in Aix-en-Provence, an immersive visual installation set to music by CHLOÉ transported guests into the world of Les Européens. Published in 1955 by Verve and featuring a cover designed by Joan Miró, this iconic book was reissued in 2026. Through the faces, gestures, and traditions captured during his travels, the photographer paints a portrait of a diverse Europe in the midst of profound change. The exhibition at Caumont-Centre d'Art brings together more than 200 photographs, some of which have rarely been shown, and runs through March 21, 2027.

Faithful to the wishes of its two founders, the Foundation is committed to preserving their work and, for over twenty years, has offered a discerning program showcasing a rare collection of photographic masterpieces, while supporting new generations of contemporary photographers.

During the evening, held under the high patronage of Mr. Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic, three international artists were honored for their work: Wolfgang Tillmans, recipient of the Henri Cartier-Bresson Prize for his lifetime achievement, and Poklong Anading, winner of the Latitudes program, organized by the Hermès Corporate Foundation in collaboration with the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation and the International Center of Photography.

WOLFGANG TILLMANS

LAURÉAT DU PRIX HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON POUR L'ENSEMBLE DE L'ŒUVRE

Introduced in 2024, the Henri Cartier-Bresson Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates a photographer or an artist working with photography, in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the photographic medium. Presented annually at the Fondation's Gala, this award recognizes singular creators whose work has profoundly shaped the history of photography.

After honoring Sophie Calle in 2024 and Susan Meiselas in 2025, the 2026 Henri Cartier-Bresson Lifetime Achievement Award has just been presented to Wolfgang Tillmans. His work was honored during a heartfelt tribute by artist and musician Michael Stipe, who celebrated their friendship, their artistic collaboration, and Wolfgang Tillmans' influence on the international scene.

Born in 1968 in Remscheid, Germany, Wolfgang Tillmans lives and works in Berlin, Germany and London, United Kingdom. He explores traditional genres such as portraiture, still life, or landscape with a constant interest in the limits of visibility. Through the integration of genres, subjects, techniques, and exhibition strategies, Tillmans expands conventional ways of approaching photography and addresses the fundamental question of what it means to create pictures in an increasingly image-saturated world.

From London to New York, via Paris, Basel, and Tokyo, his work has been shown in many of the world's leading institutions. Following a major retrospective at the Tate Modern in 2017, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York devoted a large-scale exhibition to him in 2022, To Look Without Fear, tracing three decades of his practice.

In 2025, the Centre Pompidou in turn hosted Rien ne nous y préparait – Tout nous y préparait, an exhibition spanning 6,000 square meters of the Bibliothèque publique d'information. Taking over the space and reimagining its furniture and architecture, the artist created a singular dialogue between his images, the space and memory.

Through the freedom of his explorations and his constant reinvention of the image, Wolfgang Tillmans has made a major contribution to contemporary photography.

POKLONG ANADING

LAUREATE OF LATITUDES, A FONDATION D'ENTREPRISE HERMÈS PROGRAMME

Created in 2024 by the Fondation d'entreprise Hermès, the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson and the International Center of Photography (ICP), the Latitudes program supports international photographic creation by assisting with the production and dissemination of new images. Each year, a laureate selected by the three partner institutions receives a grant to produce an original series. The work is to be exhibited in Paris at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, in New York at the ICP, and in the laureate's home country. To extend its reach, a dedicated publication is also released in co-edition with the Fondation d'entreprise Hermès. By supporting artists from scenes that remain little known internationally, Latitudes invites us to open our eyes to new photographic horizons.

After Côte d'Ivoire, it is now the Philippines' turn to be in the spotlight for a two-year cycle.

In 2026, Poklong Anading, a multidisciplinary artist from Manila, becomes the third laureate of the program.

A graduate of the University of the Philippines (1999), he has developed a practice that combines photography, video, installation, drawing and painting. Through an often participatory approach, he explores processes of creation and transformation while casting a critical eye on sociopolitical and environmental issues. Frequently working with found objects and salvaged or discarded materials, he questions notions of value and use, as well as the place of art within systems of production and consumption. Questions of identity and anonymity also play a central role in his work. The series produced as part of the program will be presented at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson in 2027, then at the International Center of Photography in 2028.