Paris After the War, memories of a liberated Paris featuring previously unpublished photographs by Walt Girdner is the story of Paris told through the eye of an American photographer.
September 1944: Paris has just been liberated from the German occupation. Between ruins and new hopes, the city is beginning to rebuild and to rediscover its spirit – through art, theatre and the rhythms of everyday life. It is at this moment, both fragile and vibrant, that the American photographer Walt Girdner (1912–1988), a former soldier in the U.S. Army, settles in Paris. With his camera, he immortalizes the rebirth of the City of Light.
Between 1944 and 1950, Girdner documented hundreds of scenes – street life, anonymous faces, emblematic monuments and fleeting moments of everyday life. For the first time in Europe, these previously unpublished photographs are brought together in Paris After The War.
Born in California in 1912, Walt Girdner began his career as a photojournalist and filmmaker. Drawn to Europe, he settled in Paris after the Liberation, where he created a distinctive photographic body of work. While he did document major events, his fascination lay in the discreet details of urban life.
Paris After The War reveals a powerful facet of his legacy: Paris, both backdrop and character. Today, these images resonate as a moving tribute to the resilience and collective memory of a city being reborn.
Walt Girdner : Paris After the War
Walt Girdner Photo Studio & Gallery
English
Hardcover, black-and-white photographs
35 € (incl. VAT)
https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0FRVKYRLJ
