Vincent Aeromodeliste, Gordes, 1952

Willy Ronis was born in Paris in 1910, the son of Jewish immigrants from Russia and Lithuania. As a young boy, he worked with his father in the family portrait studio and studied piano. His love of music as well as his early photography work developed Ronis' sense of composition. He followed his passions into a career in photojournalism, and, as a result, Ronis became part of the great Parisian group of documentary photographers that also included Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Doisneau. The images created by Willis Ronis capture the simple pleasures of everyday life. Not one to focus on suffering, his' photographs are often light-hearted, humor-filled, and full of compassion even as they capture the delight of French "joie de vivre." Ronis has had several books and monographs published on his work. As one of the great masters of twentieth century photography his work is in the collections of major museums and private collectors around the world.