The Henri Huet “Vietnam” Exhibition
The Henri Huet “Vietnam” exhibition at Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris
I had the great pleasure of being invited to the opening reception of the Henri Huet Vietnam exhibition at Maison Européenne de la Photographie. I didn’t know what to expect apart from typical war pictures; injured solders, the tears of innocent people dreading the cruel reality, the chaos of the bombs and artillery falling from the sky. But this is not what I saw. In the amazing photographs of Henri Huet, a man who stated “I know I’m insane, I know that what I do is crazy, but I love my job,” a man who took his last shot and breath from a helicopter, desperately trying to flee the invasion of Laos by the south Vietnamese, you actually see something else.
You see the unique present of the moment. It’s so real you feel as if you were actually there, or as if it was not even real, but a make-believe game or the set for a movie. It’s actually too real to be real, but it is real and Henri Huet brings it all to you.
This incredible press photographer was probably more alive than any of us will ever be. He had passion and lived his life to the fullest. He was documenting every single second of this war. Actually, every split second.
Needless to say, these photographs take your breath away. They are pure, raw and incredibly beautiful despite what they are representing and when you walk out of this exhibition, you can’t help but think of the lives of these people being a part of this war. You are not looking at this as a news report from a time of war, you are looking at it as if this was somebody you actually knew and you feel for the people. This is a unique gift this honoured press photographer brings to us and you will not leave this exhibition untouched by emotions.
This exhibition will go on until April 10th 2011. The address of Maison Européenne de la Photographie is, 82 rue François Miron, Metro St Paul, Paris.
Pia Mattsson
Art Director
