Édouard Boubat (1923-1999, French)

Edouard Boubat
1984
Photo by Francois Le Diascorn

Édouard Boubat (1923-1999) was a freelance photographer who began his career in 1946. In the 50’s and 60’s he traveled and worked for the French magazine Réalités after having won the Kodak prize for photography. He is called a humanistic photographer in that he photographed simple every day activities. He was not interested in any photography of conflicts and was called, “the peace correspondent” by Jacques Prevert (another cat lover).  Boubat’s photos portray a Paris of a kinder era prior to WWII and the German occupation, and concentrated on the renewal of that life. His photographs’ beauty lies in the simplicity of a gesture, a beam of light, the everyday routine of urban life. His photographs of cats express his love of the animal. They are seen as symbols of life, love, and a gentle sensuality, but also as their typical cat selves. Even though Boubat exhibited his photographs in the best galleries and published in magazines in both Europe and the United States, he never achieved the notoriety that Henri Carter-Bresson, Brassai, and Robert Doisneau did. His romantic and elegant views of Paris were no longer appreciated by the changing society of the 60’s.  Édouard Boubat said, “I love music, painting and above all, life… Life gives me my photos. I need other people. Photography is a profession for encounters!”

Cats on a roof in Paris
1947

Rather Life

Stanislas at the Window 1973

Trinity 1967

Windows and Cat

Noelle the Cat and Partition
1982

New York
1983

Ile de France, 1978

Nu couché, 1982 (and a cat looking out of the window balcony door)

Devant La Fenetre
1978

Isabelle Huppert
Paris, France, 1983

Edouard Boubat and Cat
1989

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Robert Doisneau (1912 –1994, French)