1. Willy Ronis's father opened a photography studio in Montmartre, and his mother gave piano lessons.
12 Facts About Willy Ronis
1. 2.
The work of the photographers Alfred Stieglitz and Ansel Adams inspired Willy Ronis to begin exploring artistic photography.
3.
Willy Ronis's father died in 1936, whereupon Ronis sold the business and set up as a freelance photographer, his first work being published in Regards.
4.
In 1946 Willy Ronis joined the photo agency Rapho, with Brassai, Robert Doisneau and Ergy Landau, and was instrumental in forming the professional association Le Groupe des XV, and later joined Les 30 x 40, Club Photographique de Paris.
5.
Willy Ronis became the first French photographer to work for Life.
6.
Willy Ronis began teaching in the 1950s, and taught at the School of Fine Arts in Avignon, Aix-en-Provence and Saint Charles, Marseilles.
7.
In 1955, Willy Ronis was included in The Family of Man exhibition.
8.
Willy Ronis began teaching in the 1950s, and taught at the School of Fine Arts in Avignon, Aix-en-Provence where he met Pierre-Jean Amar and Saint Charles, Marseilles.
9.
Willy Ronis won the Prix Nadar in 1981 for his photobook, Sur le fil du hasard.
10.
Willy Ronis continued to live and work in Paris, although he stopped photography in 2001, since he required a cane to walk and could not move around with his camera.
11.
Late in her life, Willy Ronis photographed Marie-Anne suffering from Alzheimer's disease, sitting alone in a park surrounded by autumn trees.
12.
Willy Ronis bequeathed his photographic work to France through two donations and a will.