Willy Ronis was a major photographer of the twentieth century, working with Brassaï, Robert Doisneau, and Ergy Landau. His photographs were published in Life, Vogue, and Time Magazine. He is known for his engaging photographs that captured the lives of the working-class neighborhoods of Paris after the Second World War, as well as for his more intimate portraits. His photographs have been featured in numerous international exhibitions and in 2005 the Paris city hall honored his work with a major retrospective exhibition. He is the recipient of many awards, including the Venice Biennale Gold Medal, the Grand Prix des Arts et Lettres for Photography, and the Prix Nadar. The Oxford Companion to the Photograph called him "the photographer of Paris par excellence."
Matthieu Rivallin has curated numerous exhibitions, including one dedicated to Willy Ronis. He is the author of several photography books and he manages the twentieth century photography archives at the Mediathèque de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine (the Library of Architecture and Heritage).
