

Barrio Chino, Barcelona, 1933
Henri Cartier-Bresson (French, 1908–2004)
Gelatin silver print
Henri Cartier-Bresson (French, 1908–2004)
Gelatin silver print
13 5/8 x 9 1/4 in. (34.6 x 23.5 cm)
Ford Motor Company Collection, Gift of Ford Motor Company and John C. Waddell, 1987 (1987.1100.125)
© Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum Photos
The relationship of the sleeping fruit vendor to the graffito on the wall above him is a conundrum with several possible interpretations. Whatever private speculations Cartier-Bresson had about its meaning, he saw at once that the resemblance of the drawn head to the real one was remarkable and that any explanation of their juxtaposition would be less interesting than the continuing enigma.







