Photography lovers have fond memories of Yvette Troispoux, a small and bubbly woman with a sparkle in her eye and a Leica around her neck, snapping pictures of her photographer friends at gallery openings. She drew immediate sympathy with the way she dressed, and we were flattered that she took our picture. She always seemed to find a way onto the guest lists of the dinners organized in honor of the exhibiting artists. She had no real family, and we became her substitute family.
Troispoux passed away in 2007 at the age of 93, and it was time to pay her tribute, especially given that the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BnF) recently acquired her archives. A new book and an exhibition held at the Musée de Montparnasse were organized in her honor.
The book, published by Contrejour with the BnF and the help of Agathe Gaillard, Argentic, and the Musée de Coulommiers, celebrate the life and work of the woman whom Robert Doisneau nicknamed his “Photocopine.” In addition to her portraits of famous photographers (Kertesz, Gibson, Brassaï, Klein, Sieff) taken at the Parisian photography club 30 x 40 and other festivals, we discover her photographs in the humanist tradition, taken in her hometown of Coulommiers, during her travels, her walks along the Seine and in the countryside. The snapshots are poetic and full of tenderness.
Claude Nori
Mademoiselle Yvette Troispoux
Publisher : Contrejour
15 x 21 cm. 112 pages
18 euros
ISBN : 979-10-90294-04-2
You can read the full article in the French version of le Journal.
