Willy Ronis

Willy Ronis (; 14 August 191012 September 2009 ) was a French photographer. His best-known work shows life in post-war Paris and Provence.

Life and work Ronis was born in Paris to Jewish immigrants. His father, Emmanuel Ronis, was from Odessa, and his mother, Ida Gluckmann, The boy's early interest was music and he hoped to become a composer. Ronis' passion for music has been observed in his photographs.

Returning from compulsory military service in 1932, his violin studies were put on hold because his father's cancer required Ronis to take over the family portrait business. The work of the photographers Alfred Stieglitz and Ansel Adams inspired Ronis to begin exploring artistic photography. His father died in 1936, whereupon Ronis sold the business and set up as a freelance photographer,

In 1937 he met David Seymour and Robert Capa, and did his first work for Plaisir de France; in 1938–39 he reported on a strike at Citroën and traveled in the Balkans.

Ronis died at age 99, on 12 September 2009.

In 2005–2006 the Paris city hall held a retrospective exhibition of his work, that had more than 500,000 visitors.

Marie-Anne Ronis' wife, the Communist militant painter Marie-Anne Lansiaux (1910–91), showed Marie-Anne washing at a basin with a water pitcher on the floor and an open window through which the viewer can see a garden, this is noted for its ability to convey an easy feeling of Provençal life. The photograph was a "huge success";

Legacy Plaque installed in 2019 on his residence, Passage des Charbonniers (Paris, 15th arrondissement).

Since his death, Ronis' work has been exhibited worldwide, and his images are featured in the collections of major museums.

He bequeathed his photographic work to France through two donations (1983 and 1989) and a will. Recognizing the potential use of his photographs, he appointed four executors in his will, who hold the moral rights to his work and are responsible for overseeing its use. Additionally, his grandson, Stéphane Kovalsky, inherited the reserved portion.

At the completion of the succession settlement, the Médiathèque du patrimoine et de la photographie holds the entire body of his work: 82,000 negatives, 6,000 color slides, 18,000 prints, 6 albums containing 590 reference prints, 26 archival boxes, 720 library volumes, and 400 periodical volumes.

Since 2015, a street in the 20th arrondissement of Paris has been named after him, called the "Belvédère Willy-Ronis".

Publications Photo-reportage et chasse aux images. Paris: Publications Photo-Cinéma Paul Montel, 1951. Belleville-Ménilmontant. Grenoble: Arthaud, 1954. Paris: Arthaud, 1984. . Paris: Arthaud, 1989. Paris: Hoëbeke, 1999. . Îles de Paris. [N.p.]: Arthaud, 1957. Paris. Paris: Arthaud, 1962. Paris in Colour. London: Allen & Unwin, 1964. Paris in Color. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1964. Sur le fil du hasard. Paris: Contrejour, 1980. . Willy Ronis. [N.p.]: Galerie municipale du Château d'eau, c.1981. . Willy Ronis. Paris: P. Belfond, 1983. . Willy Ronis par Willy Ronis. Paris: Association française pour la diffusion du patrimoine photographique, 1985. Mon Paris. Paris: Denoël, 1985. . La Traversée de Belleville. Paris: Le Bar floréal, 1990. Willy Ronis. Paris: Centre national de la photographie, 1991. . Willy Ronis, 1934-1987. Paris: Editions Treville, 1991. . Portrait de Saint-Benoît-du-Sault. Paris: Calmann-Lévy; Versailles: Editions P. Olivieri, 1992. Toutes belles. Paris: Editions Hoëbeke, 1992. . Willy Ronis: Photographs, 1926-1995. Oxford: Museum of Modern Art, 1995. . The ISBN in the book (0-905836-89-X) is misprinted. Published to accompany a touring exhibition, Willy Ronis: Photographs 1926–1995. Edited by Peter Hamilton; preface by Willy Ronis; foreword by David Elliott; essay, "Introduction", by Peter Hamilton. Willy Ronis: 70 ans de déclics. Paris: Musées de la ville de Paris, 1996. . A nous la vie! 1936–1958. Paris: Hoëbeke, 1996. . Vivement Noël! Paris: Hoëbeke, 1996. . Autoportrait. Cognac: Fata Morgana, 1996. . Les Sorties du dimanche. Paris: Nathan, 1997. . Provence. Paris: Hoëbeke, 1998. . Sundays by the River. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1999. . Willy Ronis: Marie-Anne, Vincent et moi. Trézélan: Filigranes éd., 1999. . Sur le fil du hasard, rétrospective: Willy Ronis photographies. Antony: Maison des Arts, 1999. Belleville Ménilmontant. Paris: Hoëbeke, 1999. . Mémoire textile. Strasbourg: La Nuée bleue, 2000. . Willy Ronis for Press Freedom. London: Reporters without borders, 2001. . Derrière l'objectif de Willy Ronis: Photos et propos. Paris: Hoëbeke, 2001. . Willy Ronis 55. London: Phaidon, 2002. . Willy Ronis: "La vie en passant". Munich: Prestel, 2004. . Le Val et les bords de Marne. Paris: Terrebleue, 2004. . Willy Ronis: Stolen Moments / Gestohlene Augenblicke / Instants dérobés. Cologne: Taschen, 2005. . Willy Ronis: Paris, éternellement. Paris: Hoëbeke, 2005. . Willy Ronis. Barcelona: Obra Social Fundacioń "La Caixa", 2006. Texts by Willy Ronis, Marta Gili, Virginie Chardin . Ce jour-la. Paris: Mercure de France, 2006. . Paris: Gallimard, 2008. . Les Chats de Willy Ronis. Paris: Flammarion, 2007. . Nues. with Philippe Sollers Paris: Terre bleue, 2008. .

Exhibitions Five French Photographers. MoMA, New York. 18 December 1951 - 24 February 1952 Postwar European Photography. MoMA, New York. 26 May - 23 August 1953 The Family of Man. MoMA, New York. 24 January - 8 May 1955 Willy Ronis:Paris. Dina Mitrani Gallery, Miami, Florida. 10 October 2012 - 11 January 2013 Toujours Paris. Peter Fetterman Gallery, New York. 27 October 2018 - 23 February 2019